Dry Santa Ana winds will gust through San Diego County’s mountain passes and valleys into Tuesday, keeping the marine layer offshore and allowing temperatures to rise above seasonal levels until things cool a bit on Thanksgiving, the National Weather Service says.
The northeast winds will be strongest from Monday night until Tuesday afternoon and could make driving tricky on parts of Interstates 8, 10 and 15, just as holiday travel is picking up. Forecasters say the Santa Anas could gust to 51 mph in Alpine, 46 mph in Julian, 44 mph in Ramona and Campo, 37 mph on Palomar Mountain, 36 mph in Escondido, 26 mph in Oceanside and 24 mph in San Ysidro.
The offshore flow will linger into Wednesday, with diminishing results. But forecasters say skies will be mostly clear through Thanksgiving.
The winds will be very light at local beaches but could be enough to make the face of breaking waves glassy, something prized by surfers and divers. Sea surface temperatures will be in the 61-to-65-degree range.
San Diego’s daytime high is expected to reach 74 on Monday, 78 on Tuesday, 75 on Wednesday, 69 on Thursday and 68 on Friday. The seasonal high is 70.
The winds and temperatures aren’t expected to produce a significant risk of wildfires, due to last week’s rains. Since the rainy season began on Oct. 1, San Diego International Airport has recorded 0.28 inches of rain, which is 0.63 inches below average.
