Breezy & Warm Through Saturday with Santa Ana Winds & Small Cooldown Ahead

Today, we've reached highs in the low 80s, with gusty winds across the region, especially in east-west passes, creating elevated fire weather risks through the early part of the week. Temperatures will be in the low 80s again tomorrow, driven by continued offshore flow and high pressure over the region. A dip in temperatures is expected on Sunday as low pressure moves into the area, enhancing onshore flow and bringing some cooling, especially inland.

A moderate to strong Santa Ana wind event is forecast from Monday through early Wednesday as a trough digs into the Great Basin and moves through the Desert Southwest. This will enhance upper-level winds, creating gusty northeast to east winds across the mountains and valleys. A surface high near 1038 DM will strengthen the pressure gradient, leading to the strongest winds in east-west passes like Banning Pass and the San Diego County mountains and foothills. Winds in these areas could exceed 50 MPH, while valley regions may see gusts of 25-40 MPH.

Dry conditions will accompany the winds, prompting a Fire Weather Watch for the mountains, Inland Empire, and San Diego County valleys through this period. Winds will peak late Monday night into Tuesday before becoming more localized on Wednesday.

By Thursday and Friday, the trough will shifts east, allowing for lighter winds. A ridge off the coast will build over Southern California later in the week, with temperatures rising 5-10 degrees above normal. While conditions will remain dry, a potential trough could move closer to the region by next weekend, but no major changes are expected until then.

Mid to late next week, temperatures see a small bump up, but will generally stay 5 to 10 degrees above normal for much of the region.