San Diego County is in the grips of the season’s first heat wave, with temperatures soaring as high as 20 degrees above average from Friday through Sunday: 90s in the valleys, near 100 in the mountains, and 115 in the desert. A National Weather Service heat warning is in effect in the inland valleys, mountains and deserts from Friday morning through Sunday evening.
Those looking to cool off can head to the beach, where the marine layer and ocean breeze will keep temperatures in the low 70s. In fact, there will be a 40 degree difference between the beach and the desert, said National Weather Service Meteorologist Alex Tardy.
Tardy said the coast will stay comfortable, in part because the warm El Niño and blob conditions have dissipated. The ocean acts as a natural air conditioner, he said, "which wasn't working well" during the past two years.
“So we finally have seen our coastal waters cool closer to normal sea surface temperatures — that’s part of why we’ve seen a marine layer,” Tardy said. “The marine layer also needs other ingredients in the atmosphere to make it really set up right.”
The heat wave will move out by Monday, but looking ahead, we’re in for a warm and dry summer of above average temperatures and periodic heat waves, the NWS meteorologist said.
“The good news is, not as hot as ‘14 and 2015. But bad news is we’re expecting another warm summer, which means temperatures will average above normal,” Tardy said. "Most importantly, embedded within there, we still expect some decent heat waves.”
Tardy said warm temperatures will continue to feed the severe drought. The region’s rainfall this season is more than 2 inches below average.
“The drought has not improved at all, and in some areas it has gotten worse,” he said. “We’ve seen no improvement other than a nice green-up this spring that’s already dying off now.”
