Weather Should Be Memorable Over the Weekend

Days will be sunny and temperatures should remain mild over the Memorial Day weekend in Southern California.

High pressure just off the coast and a weak area of low pressure created by heat in the desert will combine to continue and intensify the onshore flow of moist marine air throughout the long holiday period, National Weather Service meteorologists said Thursday.

The offshore high is weakening and an upper-level trough of low pressure is moving into the Pacific Northwest and Central California, they said, but the main result for Southern California will be a slower clearing of night and morning low cloudiness--which in turn should keep afternoon temperatures in the 70s to low 80s until the middle of next week.

High temperature at Los Angeles Civic Center on Thursday was 81 degrees.

It was slightly cooler in Orange County Thursday, with Santa Ana reaching 78 after a low of 61. At Newport Beach, the high was only 68 after a low of 60.

The forecast called for a high of just 75 today in Orange County, with slightly cooler afternoons over the weekend.

Beaches were expected to have temperatures from the high 60s to the low 70s, with night and morning low clouds and fog hanging on until noon in some places. Surf was expected to run 2 to 3 feet, with water temperatures into the low 60s.

The Weather Service said weekend seafarers who stay fairly close to shore can expect light morning airs to freshen by afternoon, hitting 10 to 16 knots from the south and southwest in some places from Point Conception to the Mexican border.

Those who venture farther out can expect northwest winds to 20 knots today, easing to 15 knots by Sunday afternoon, with combined seas running 5 to 8 feet from Point Conception to San Clemente Island.

Early-morning fog along the lower slopes and winds gusting to 30 m.p.h. at times were forecast for resort levels of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains, with temperatures dropping to the 30s overnight in some of the higher resort valleys but rising to the 60s and 70s with skies clear and sunny by early morning in most places.

The Sierra was expected to remain fair throughout the weekend, with temperatures from the 30s to the 60s.

Desert visitors also were warned to expect a bit of wind. Gusts to 30 m.p.h. were predicted during afternoon and evening hours, with skies remaining fair and temperatures hitting the mid-80s to low 90s in the high desert, and the mid-90s to about 105 degrees in the low desert.

Southern Nevada--which experienced some minor thunderstorm activity, dropping a fraction of an inch of rain at various locations Thursday afternoon--was due more of the same this afternoon, but skies were expected to be sunny and dry with temperatures to the mid-90s Saturday through Monday.