554  
FXUS66 KSGX 220511  
AFDSGX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA  
911 PM PST SAT DEC 21 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
PATCHY DENSE FOG IS POSSIBLE OVER HIGHER COASTAL TERRAIN TONIGHT,  
WITH HIGH CLOUDS ELSEWHERE. NEAR AVERAGE TEMPERATURES EXPECTED  
NEAR THE COAST WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES INLAND THROUGH  
MONDAY. BREEZIER, COOLER, AND WETTER WEATHER IS EXPECTED FOR  
TUESDAY. DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED FOR THE MIDDLE TO END OF NEXT  
WEEK, WITH A WARMING TREND INTO NEXT WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE
 
 
SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO  
COUNTIES...  
 
EVENING UPDATE...  
VERY PATCHY LOW CLOUDS ARE DEVELOPING AND SUBSEQUENTLY DISSIPATING  
OVER THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS THIS EVENING ALONG WITH  
BANDS OF HIGH CLOUDS MOVING IN FROM THE NORTH-NORTHWEST. THE 00Z  
KNKX SOUNDING SHOWS THE MARINE INVERSION BASED NEAR 1100 FT MSL.  
GIVEN THIS, EXPECT THE FOCUS OF DENSE FOG TO BE OVER THE HIGHER  
COASTAL TERRAIN AND COASTAL MESAS AS OPPOSED TO ALONG THE  
IMMEDIATE COAST. THIS COULD IMPACT TRAVEL ON I-15 AND HIGHWAY 163  
IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY AND I-5 IN ORANGE COUNTY AT TIMES TONIGHT INTO  
SUNDAY MORNING. OTHERWISE MINOR COOLING SUNDAY AS A WEAK TROUGH  
MOVES ACROSS SO CAL, THOUGH HIGHS REMAIN AROUND 5-10 DEGREES ABOVE  
NORMAL INLAND. TEMPERATURES REBOUND SLIGHTLY ON MONDAY WITH  
TRANSITORY UPPER LEVEL RIDGING FOLLOWS BEHIND THE UPPER TROUGH.  
 
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...  
ON TUESDAY A QUICK MOVING TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE ACROSS  
THE WEST COAST BRINGING BREEZY, WET, AND COOL CONDITIONS TO THE  
AREA. ONSHORE WESTERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE TUESDAY AND PEAK TUESDAY  
NIGHT, STRONGEST IN THE MOUNTAINS, THROUGH PASSES, AND LOCALLY INTO  
THE DESERTS. PRELIMINARY GUIDANCE SHOWS PEAK WIND GUSTS OF 35-45  
MPH, LOCALLY UP TO 55 MPH IN WIND PRONE LOCATIONS. GUIDANCE IS  
FAIRLY CONSISTENT ON THE TIMING BEING TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING  
FOR BOTH THE UPTICK IN WIND AND PRECIPITATION. DETERMINISTIC  
INTEGRATED WATER VAPOR TRANSPORT GUIDANCE FOR BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF  
IS SHOWING A WEAK MOISTURE SURGE REACHING THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA  
COAST TUESDAY EVENING. ALMOST ALL INDIVIDUAL ENSEMBLE MEMBERS FOR  
THE ECMWF AND GEFS ARE SHOWING MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION FOR PLACES  
WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS FOR TUESDAY AFTERNOON/NIGHT. THERE DOES STILL  
REMAIN SOME UNCERTAINTY IN RAINFALL AMOUNTS, ALTHOUGH MOST GUIDANCE  
IS INDICATING RAINFALL WILL BE LIGHT. FORECAST RAINFALL TOTALS HAVE  
INCREASED SLIGHTLY SINCE THIS MORNING. FOR THE COAST AND VALLEYS  
TOTALS ARE EXPECTED TO BE 0.05-0.12", WITH TOTALS 0.20-0.30" ON THE  
COASTAL SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAINS. A DUSTING OF SNOW IS EXPECTED ABOVE  
7000 FT. THE TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO QUICKLY EXIT TO THE EAST, LEAVING  
DRY CONDITIONS IN IT'S WAKE FOR MUCH OF WEDNESDAY.  
 
TEMPERATURES ON WEDNESDAY ARE EXPECTED TO BE NEAR TO SLIGHTLY BELOW  
NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS AND 3 TO 7 DEGREE  
WARMER THAN NORMAL IN THE DESERTS. LOWER DESERT LOCATIONS WILL HAVE  
HIGHS IN THE 70S WITH WIDESPREAD 60S WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS. A  
GRADUAL WARMING TREND IS EXPECTED THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY AS  
RIDGING BUILDS OVER CALIFORNIA.  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
 
220500Z....COASTS/VALLEYS...AREAS OF BKN-OVC LOW CLOUDS/FOG WILL  
CONTINUE TO DEVELOP WITHIN 10-15 MILES OF THE COAST THROUGH 09Z SUN,  
THEN CONTINUING THROUGH 16Z-19Z SUN. BASES WILL BE VARIABLE, MOSTLY  
500-900 FT MSL THROUGH 08Z SUN, THEN LOWERING TO 300-600 FT MSL 08Z-  
16Z SUN BEFORE LIFTING TO 500-900 FT MSL 16Z-19Z AS SKIES MOSTLY  
CLEAR. TOPS WILL MOSTLY BE 700-1100 FT MSL. AREAS OF VIS 2-5 MILES  
WILL OCCUR WITHIN 15 MILES OF THE COAST WITH LOCAL VIS BELOW 1 MILE  
OVER MAINLY HIGHER COASTAL TERRAIN 08Z-17Z SUN. HIGHER COASTAL  
TERRAIN WILL BE OBSCURED AT TIMES THROUGH 17Z SUN. LOCAL BKN CIGS  
COULD CONTINUE AT THE BEACHES SUN AFTERNOON. STRATUS WILL HAVE  
HIGHER BASES SUN EVENING AS IT SPREADS INLAND, MOST LIKELY 700-1200  
FT MSL.  
 
PROBABILITIES OF LOWEST CIGS THROUGH 17Z SUN AT SAN AND SNA,  
RESPECTIVELY:  
200 FEET OR LESS: 15 PERCENT, 25 PERCENT  
500 FEET OR LESS: 60 PERCENT, 80 PERCENT  
 
PROBABILITIES OF LOWEST VIS THROUGH 17Z SUN AT SAN AND SNA,  
RESPECTIVELY:  
1/2 MILE OR LESS: 15 PERCENT, 25 PERCENT  
1 MILE OR LESS: 30 PERCENT, 40 PERCENT  
2 MILES OR LESS: 60 PERCENT, 70 PERCENT  
   
MOUNTAINS/DESERTS
 
SCT-BKN HIGH CLOUDS AT/ABOVE 20000 FT MSL WITH  
UNRESTRICTED VIS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH SUN EVENING.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
LONG PERIOD WNW SWELLS (280-290 DEG) OF 8-11 FEET WILL BUILD LATE  
TONIGHT, CONTINUING SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT, WITH THE HIGHEST  
SWELLS IN THE OUTER COASTAL WATERS WHERE A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS  
IN EFFECT. 8-9 FOOT WAVES COULD OCCUR WITHIN 30 NM OF THE COAST BUT  
WITH RELATIVELY LONG PERIODS OF 16-20 SECONDS. WIND GUSTS OF 20-25  
KT ARE EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT IN THE OUTER COASTAL WATERS.  
 

 
   
BEACHES
 
 
LONG PERIOD (16-20 SECOND) WEST TO NORTHWEST SWELLS (280-290 DEG)  
WILL ARRIVE EARLY SUNDAY AND RESULT IN HIGH SURF OF 6-12 FEET WITH  
LOCALLY HIGHER SETS THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL MAKE SWIMMING  
HAZARDOUS AND POSE A MINOR COASTAL FLOODING THREAT. ELEVATED SURF  
WILL CONTINUE LATE IN THE WEEK AS ADDITIONAL, ALBEIT SOMEWHAT  
SMALLER SWELLS OCCUR. SEE THE HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR MORE DETAILS.  
 

 
   
SKYWARN
 
 
SKYWARN ACTIVATION IS NOT REQUESTED. HOWEVER WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE  
ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS.  
 

 
   
SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
CA...HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM PST WEDNESDAY FOR ORANGE COUNTY  
COASTAL AREAS-SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS.  
 
PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM PST WEDNESDAY FOR WATERS FROM  
SAN MATEO POINT TO THE MEXICAN BORDER EXTENDING 30 TO 60 NM  
OUT INCLUDING SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND.  
 

 
 

 
 
PUBLIC...SS/CO  
AVIATION/MARINE/BEACHES...MAXWELL  
 
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