861  
FXUS66 KSGX 140025  
AFDSGX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA  
525 PM PDT FRI MAR 13 2026  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
THE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE REGION WILL WEAKEN SOME OVER THE  
WEEKEND, WHERE SLIGHT COOLING WILL TAKE PLACE WITH A DEEPER MARINE  
LAYER NEAR THE COAST. THE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL REAMPLIFY BY  
NEXT WEEK, LEADING TO A PROLONGED HEAT WAVE. THIS EVENT WILL  
ENCOMPASS TEMPERATURES OF 20 TO POTENTIALLY UP TO 30 DEGREES ABOVE  
NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR, LEADING TO MODERATE TO HIGH HEAT RISK.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE
 
 
SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO  
COUNTIES...  
   
..UPDATED AVIATION AND MARINE SECTIONS FOR 00Z TAFS
 
 
A 588 DM HIGH IS MAINTAINING ITS STRENGTH OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC.  
THIS HOT AIR MASS WILL GIVE ANOTHER VERY WARM DAY OUT THERE WITH  
TEMPERATURES 15-20 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE PLACES THAT WILL SEE  
SOME BETTER RELIEF FROM THE HOTTEST TEMPERATURES WILL BE AT THE  
COAST AND HIGHER ELEVATIONS OVER 5,000 FEET. THE RIDGE WILL WEAKEN  
SOME BY THIS WEEKEND, ALONG FOR GREATER ONSHORE FLOW AND THE MARINE  
LAYER TO DEEPEN SLIGHTLY. THIS WILL GIVE THE CHANCE FOR LOW CLOUDS  
AND FOG TO FORM NEAR THE COAST BY EARLY SATURDAY MORNING (AROUND A  
20% CHANCE AT SAN DIEGO). SATURDAY WILL BE THE COOLEST DAY OVER THE  
NEXT WEEK, THOUGH HIGHS WILL STILL BE NEAR 10 TO 15 DEGREES ABOVE  
NORMAL. AS ONSHORE FLOW TAKES HOLD, THERE IS NEAR A 50-50 CHANCE TO  
SEE WIND GUSTS OVER 30 MPH ACROSS MOUNTAIN DESERT PASSES INTO THE  
HIGH DESERT BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THE MARINE LAYER WILL BE ITS  
DEEPEST BY SUNDAY MORNING WITH LOW CLOUDS AND PATCHY FOG MOVING IN  
FROM THE COAST TO ABOUT TEN MILES INLAND.  
 
THE HIGH OFF THE COAST WILL BEGIN REAMPLIFY ON SUNDAY, WHERE HIGHER  
PRESSURE HEIGHTS NEAR 585MB MOVE INTO THE AREA. THIS WILL KICKOFF  
A MAJOR HEAT WAVE FOR THE REGION AS WE MOVE INTO THE UPCOMING WEEK.  
SUNDAY TEMPERATURES WILL WARM ANOTHER 5 TO 10 DEGREES ACROSS INLAND  
VALLEYS WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS, ABOUT THE SAME FROM SATURDAY  
EVERYWHERE ELSE. CHANCES ARE LOW TO MODERATE TO SEE AREAS OF THE  
NORTHERN INLAND EMPIRE GO OVER 95 DEGREES ON SUNDAY.  
 
THE CENTER OF THE HIGH SLOWLY MOVES TOWARD THE REGION BY MONDAY  
THROUGH WEDNESDAY, THEN MOVES SLOWLY EASTWARD INTO ARIZONA BY LATER  
IN THE WEEK. THIS IS A VERY HOT AIR MASS WITH TEMPERATURES AT 850 MB  
NEARING 25C, WHICH IS ABOUT 15C ABOVE NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR,  
VERY HOT! DUE TO THIS PROLONGED HEAT EVENT, AN EXTREME HEAT WATCH  
HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL AREAS WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS MONDAY THROUGH  
FRIDAY. THE GREATEST WARMING WILL BEGIN IN THESE AREAS BY MONDAY AND  
TUESDAY, WITH HIGHS NEARING 100 DEGREES BY TUESDAY FOR THE VALLEYS  
OF SAN DIEGO/ORANGE COUNTY INTO THE INLAND EMPIRE. THE COASTAL AREAS  
WILL SEE A TOUGHER FORECAST AS COOL WESTERLY WINDS OFF THE OCEAN  
WILL HAVE A LARGE EFFECT ON THE TEMPERATURES WITHIN A MILE OR SO  
FROM THE COAST, WHERE SOME AREAS MAY STAY MUCH COOLER THAN INLAND  
REGIONS. PLEASE USE THIS TIME TO PREPARE FOR THE INCOMING HEAT BY  
MAKING SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH WATER AND PRODUCTS TO KEEP COOL.  
 
THE AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN FOR THE LATTER  
HALF OF NEXT WEEK. THIS WILL BRING EVEN HOTTER TEMPERATURES TO THE  
AREA, WHERE MANY OF OUR CLIMATE SITES WILL NOT ONLY BREAK DAILY  
TEMPERATURE RECORDS BUT ALSO MONTHLY RECORD TEMPERATURES. PLEASE SEE  
THE CLIMATE INFORMATION SECTION BELOW FOR MORE DETAILS. THE  
TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR LATER NEXT WEEK IS SOMEWHAT LOWER  
CONFIDENCE ON THE EXACT TEMPERATURE DETAILS, BUT WHATEVER YOU WAY  
YOU SLICE IT, IT WILL BE VERY HOT FOR THE MIDDLE OF MARCH. 850 MB  
TEMPERATURES WILL PEAK NEAR 25C DURING THIS PERIOD AS THE HIGH  
AMPLIFIES NEAR 593-595 DM. THURSDAY AND FRIDAY LOOK TO BE THE  
HOTTEST DAYS OVER ALL, WITH LOW TO MODERATE CHANCES OF SEEING HIGHS  
REACH 105 DEGREES ACROSS THE INLAND EMPIRE, AS WELL AS REACHING 100  
DEGREES AND INLAND VALLEYS EAST OF THE 5 AND THE 15 IN ORANGE AND  
SAN DIEGO COUNTIES. THE MOST EXTREME HEAT WILL BE ACROSS THE  
COACHELLA VALLEY DURING THIS TIME. NBM PROBABILITIES SHOW A  
A MODERATE TO HIGH CHANCE OF GOING OVER 110 DEGREES BY LATE NEXT  
WEEK AS WELL. TO PUT THIS IN PERSPECTIVE, THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE  
RECORDED IN MARCH AT PALM SPRINGS AND INDIO IS 104 DEGREES (BOTH  
SITES OF WHICH HAVE A PERIOD OF RECORD OVER 100 YEARS OLD). LOW  
TEMPERATURES WILL COOL OFF SOME INTO THE 60S FOR MANY AREAS BELOW  
5,000 FEET WITH LOWS STAYING IN THE 70S ACROSS THE LOWER DESERTS.  
PLEASE MAKE SURE TO CHECK ON FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND NEIGHBORS THIS  
COMING WEEK! OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES SHOULD BE LIMITED AS THE DURATION OF  
THIS EARLY SEASON HEAT WAVE WILL LEAD TO INCREASED RISK OF HEAT  
ILLNESS. THIS INCLUDES THE MOUNTAINS, WHERE HIGHS WILL REACH INTO  
THE 80S AND 90S BY THE LATTER HALF OF THE UPCOMING WEEK. THE RIDGE  
LOOKS TO SLOWLY WEAKEN BY THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND, WHICH WILL AID IN A  
COOLING TREND.  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
 
140000Z...VFR CONDITIONS WITH INCREASING HIGH CLOUDS THROUGH  
SATURDAY MORNING. PATCHY LOW CLOUDS AND FOG 300-500 FT MSL WITH VIS  
2-4 SM OVER THE WATERS AND ISOLATED COASTAL AREAS 12-16Z SATURDAY.  
CIGS AND REDUCED VIS NOT LIKELY AT MOST COASTAL AIRPORTS (15% CHANCE  
AT KCRQ/KSNA), BUT THERE IS A BETTER CHANCE (40%) FOR INTERMITTENT  
CIGS AT KSAN. GREATER COVERAGE OF COASTAL CLOUDS 500-900 FT MSL SAT  
EVENING AFTER 15/02Z.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
NO HAZARDOUS MARINE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH  
WEDNESDAY.  
 

 
   
BEACHES
 
LINGERING LONG-PERIOD SOUTH SWELL WILL CONTINUE TO  
PRODUCE A HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK AND LOCALLY HAZARDOUS SWIMMING  
CONDITIONS TODAY, ESPECIALLY IN ORANGE COUNTY.  
 

 
   
CLIMATE
 
 
   
CLIMATE
 
 
THE FOLLOWING ARE THE EXISTING HIGHEST TEMPERATURE RECORDS FOR MARCH  
FOR SELECTED LOCATIONS ALONG WITH THE HIGHEST DAILY NBM PROBABILITY TO  
SET A NEW MARCH RECORD FOR NEXT WEEK. THIS IS NOT A COMPREHENSIVE LIST,  
BUT THE MOST LIKELY LOCATIONS TO TIE OR SET NEW MONTHLY RECORD HIGH  
TEMPERATURES FOR MARCH ARE IN THE DESERTS, VALLEYS, AND MOUNTAINS.  
 
LOCATION MARCH RECORD NBM PROBABILITY  
 
PALM SPRINGS 104 100 PERCENT (THU,FRI)  
INDIO 104 100 PERCENT (THU, FRI)  
THERMAL 103 100 PERCENT (WED, THU, FRI)  
RAMONA 94 85-95 PERCENT (WED, THU, FRI)  
BIG BEAR 80 100 PERCENT (THU, FRI)  
SANTA ANA 98 40 PERCENT (THU, FRI)  
 
THE EXISTING HIGHEST 500 MB HEIGHT FOR NKX FOR MARCH IS 590 DM. THAT  
COULD BE EXCEEDED FOR MULTIPLE DAYS NEXT WEEK BETWEEN TUESDAY AND FRIDAY.  
 

 
 
   
SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
CA...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR ORANGE COUNTY  
COASTAL AREAS-ORANGE COUNTY INLAND AREAS-SAN BERNARDINO AND  
RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND EMPIRE-SAN DIEGO COUNTY  
COASTAL AREAS-SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS.  
 
EXTREME HEAT WATCH FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING  
FOR ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS-ORANGE COUNTY INLAND AREAS-  
SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND  
EMPIRE-SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS-SAN DIEGO COUNTY  
VALLEYS-SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS.  
 
PZ...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
PUBLIC...STEWEY  
AVIATION/MARINE/BEACHES...CSP  
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.

The Nexlab CA Page Main Text Page