A Warm but Not Toasty Weekend Is in the Forecast

The temperatures that have toasted Southern California the past weekends are expected to ease up this weekend.

But don’t break out the winter coats.

Although the mercury isn’t likely to hit the near record-setting levels of last month, Orange County residents can still expect a warm, typical August weekend, meteorologists said Thursday.

The forecast at the beaches: Sunny, clear skies, with temperatures in the low 70s. Maybe even some late-night clouds and early morning fog, said Curtis Brack, a meteorologist with WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times.

For the inland cities: hotter, with temperatures from the mid-80s to low 90s. The skies should be clear.

“It’s a fairly typical summertime weather pattern,” Brack said.

A high pressure system building over California will keep the temperature warm. Typically, such systems force winds in a downward direction, compressing and heating the air. It should also keep the skies mostly clear.

Later in the weekend, Orange County’s mountainous areas may get some thunderstorms.

“There’s some monsoon thunderstorm activity, which is also pretty typical for this time of year,” he said. “It won’t affect the coastal areas, but you could see lightning strike the mountain peaks Sunday and Monday.”

The weather Thursday served as a preview for the weekend conditions. Temperatures at the beaches hovered in the low 70s, while in Santa Ana and El Toro, the mercury hit 81 degrees.

“We’re looking for a little bit of a warm-up [today] and probably about the same into the weekend,” he said.