Is It Fall, Finally? Forecasters Say Today’s the Day

Temperatures near 100 prompted the early release of thousands of East County elementary and high school students Thursday. But cooler weather more fitting early fall is expected today, the National Weather Service said.

Twelve schools from the Grossmont Union High School District and the Cajon Valley Union School District recessed early because of the heat and lack of air conditioning in school buildings.

The elementary district will also release its students early today, in keeping with district policy, said Margo Hawthorne, risk manager for the Cajon Valley district.

The high temperature Thursday at Lindbergh Field was 82, 11 degrees shy of the record set for Oct. 1. Temperatures elsewhere in the county reached 100 in Ramona and at Gillespie Field in El Cajon, 99 at the San Diego Wild Animal Park near Escondido, 96 in Spring Valley, 95 in Poway, 94 in Lemon Grove and Alpine, 93 in La Mesa and 73 in Oceanside.

Smog levels Thursday were in the good to moderate range around the county, the county Air Pollution Control District reported. The outlook for today’s air quality is favorable, the agency said.

The high-pressure system that had smothered San Diego the past two weeks peaked Tuesday, with many inland areas soaring over 100 degrees, the Weather Service said. Between Wednesday and Thursday, the mercury at Lindbergh Field had dropped five degrees and temperatures around the county were expected to decrease at least another five degrees today.

Plenty of sunshine and more seasonal temperatures will prevail this weekend after early-morning low clouds burn off, said Wilbur Shigehara, senior meteorologist for the Weather Service.

“It’s about time. We deserve this,” Shigehara said of the cooling trend that is expected to last at least until the middle of next week. “We will have an early fall weekend, absolutely perfect for all kinds of outdoor activity.”

Shigehara said the weather in the mountains will be a perfect match for Julian’s Apple Days. The annual celebration of the apple harvest begins Saturday, and harvest-related activities will be held every weekend in October.

Beach highs this weekend will be 68 to 74 with westerly winds up to 17 m.p.h., Shigehara said. The surf is 3 to 4 feet.

Coastal highs today and Saturday will be 75 to 81 and notch up a couple of degrees Sunday. Overnight lows will be 62 to 68, Shigehara said.

Inland highs will be 82 to 91 today and Saturday, climbing to 92 Sunday. Lows both nights will be 58 to 64.

Daytime mountain temperatures will be 75 to 84 through Sunday. Overnight lows will be 40 to 50.

Desert temperatures will be 95 to 102 today and Saturday and 98 by Sunday. Lows will be 60 to 70.

Last month, the average daily temperature was 72.4 degrees, making it the warmest September since 1984, when the average temperature was 78.9 degrees, Shigehara said. The norm for September is 71, he said.

The month also recorded 84% of possible sunshine, making it the second-sunniest September on record. The September record was set in 1967 when there was 85% possible sunshine.