Enjoy the break from summer sizzle while you can. Temperatures should be a few degrees below normal today, but National Weather Service forecasters expect a change tomorrow.
“It's going to be sticky,” said forecaster Phil Gonsalves. “It's going to feel like it's really hot because of the humidity.”
Moisture from the Gulf of California is expected to reach Southern California late tonight, and that will make for a muggy day tomorrow, Gonsalves said.
The soggy atmosphere will increase the chance of thunderstorms in the mountains and deserts tomorrow. Some of the storms could be severe, which will raise the risk of flash floods, especially in recent burn areas.
“Those thunderstorms can produce a lot of rain in a few minutes,” Gonsalves said. “This past week, they got almost 2 inches of rain in a half hour in the San Bernardino Mountains.”
San Diego County's mountains and deserts missed the rain this week, but conditions could be more favorable Sunday, Gonsalves said. Isolated storms could dump more than 1.5 inches in the mountains, forecasters say.
There is a slight chance the storms will drift west of the mountains, but there's very little danger of flash floods in the inland valleys or along the coast.
Low clouds and fog this morning should keep the coast and valleys cool. The highs at the beaches should be in the low 70s, and the valleys should reach the low 80s.
Tomorrow, a weaker marine layer is expected, and temperatures should jump 3 to 5 degrees west of the mountains. The humidity, however, will make it seem warmer.
“We'll feel it by the afternoon,” Gonsalves said.
Robert Krier: (619) 293-2241; rob.krier@uniontrib.com
