Valleywide : Mild Santa Anas May Warm Temperatures

Ocean winds that recently have brought cooler temperatures and fog to the Valley will recede today as a weak Santa Ana effect begins, the National Weather Service said Sunday.

But the rising temperatures--typical of Santa Anas--will be moderate for now, said David Gomberg, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Oxnard.

“There’s a lot of cold air over Nevada,” Gomberg said, noting that Santa Ana winds move from inland areas toward the sea.

As the air drops from the high elevation of a plateau, it warms and becomes the hot winds that move into the Los Angeles region. But with cold inland air in the mix, the winds reaching the San Fernando Valley will not be as hot, Gomberg said.

But the winds still will give the Valley sunny and clearer skies this week, he said.

High temperatures today are forecast to be 71 in Van Nuys and Burbank and 77 in Woodland Hills. Temperatures are expected to be back in the 80s on Tuesday and climb to the upper 80s later in the week.

“Nothing is showing up giving any sign of rain,” Gomberg said.

Although rain in Southern California could begin early next month, most storm systems thus far have hit Oregon and Washington instead. The most recent storm hit Northern California last week. Its only effect on Southern California was to bring fog into the area and high winds to the Antelope Valley.