860
FXUS66 KSGX 241938
AFDSGX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
1238 PM PDT FRI APR 24 2026
SYNOPSIS
COOL AND VERY WINDY THIS WEEKEND WITH LIGHT RAIN/SNOW CHANCES
THROUGH SUNDAY. WARMING TREND NEXT WEEK BEFORE A LARGE LOW MAY
BRING ADDITIONAL PRECIPITATION MID TO LATE WEEK.
DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE
SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO
COUNTIES...
..INCOMING WEATHER SYSTEM TO BRING A WINDY WEEKEND
A DEEPENING LOW OFF THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA WILL BEGIN TO IMPACT THE
REGION TODAY AS IT PIVOTS SOUTH, BRINGING COOLER WEATHER, AMPLE
CLOUDS, AND WINDY CONDITIONS. AS THE GRADIENT TIGHTENS OVERHEAD
TODAY, STRENGTHENING WESTERLY WINDS COULD GUST AS HIGH AS 30-40 MPH
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING, PRIMARILY IN WIND-PRONE REGIONS SUCH AS
MOUNTAIN PASSES AND THE DESERT MOUNTAIN SLOPES. WINDS WEAKEN A BIT
OVERNIGHT POST-PEAK HEATING, BUT REMAIN ELEVATED FOR THE DESERT SIDE
OF THE MOUNTAINS INTO SATURDAY MORNING. AT THE SAME TIME, THE MARINE
LAYER WILL BE DEEPENING AND SPREADING INLAND AS LOW AND MID LEVEL
MOISTURE IS PUSHED INTO THE REGION BY THE LOW. BY SUNRISE SATURDAY,
CLOUDS WILL HAVE FILTERED EFFICIENTLY INTO THE COASTAL BASIN AND
INLAND VALLEYS, POSSIBLY PUSHING UP TO THE MOUNTAINS. LIGHT RAIN
SHOWERS/DRIZZLE MAY BEGIN AS EARLY AS MIDNIGHT SATURDAY, WITH
HIGHEST CHANCES FOR LIGHT RAIN ACCUMULATIONS FOR THE COASTAL BASIN.
RAIN TOTALS EXPECTED TO BE 0.00-0.10" THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING.
HEIGHTS FALL QUICKLY AFTER TODAY AS THE SYSTEM INCHES TOWARDS THE CA
COAST, WITH HIGHS AROUND 5-10 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL FOR SATURDAY AND
8-15 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL SUNDAY. CLOUDS REMAIN PRESENT FOR MUCH OF
THE DAY ON SATURDAY, SPREADING INTO THE DESERTS BY THE AFTERNOON,
WITH ON AND OFF LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION. AS THE
SYSTEM PUSHES INLAND LATE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY MORNING,
A 500MB JET MAX WILL PASS JUST SOUTH OF THE REGION >80KTS, WHICH
WILL STRUGGLE TO MIX DOWN DUE TO THE TIMING OF THE PASSAGE.
REGARDLESS, VERY STRONG WESTERLY WINDS WILL DEVELOP LATE SATURDAY
EVENING AND PERSIST INTO SUNDAY MORNING - 20-30 FOR INLAND AREAS AND
40 TO 55 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS THROUGH MOUNTAIN PASSES AND ON THE
DESERT SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAINS. DUE TO THIS, THE WIND ADVISORY HAS
BEEN EXPANDED TO INCLUDE THE COACHELLA VALLEY AND SAN DIEGO COUNTY
DESERTS, BOTH OF WHICH ARE LIKELY TO SEE GUSTS ABOVE 40 MPH LATE
SATURDAY. MAKE SURE TO TIE DOWN LOOSE ITEMS OR BRING THEM INSIDE
PRIOR TO THESE PEAK WINDS. BLOWING DUST WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT
THIS PERIOD, ESPECIALLY IN THE DESERTS, WHICH MAY REDUCE VISIBILITY
AT TIMES. WINDS WEAKEN A BIT AFTER SUNRISE SUNDAY AS THE SYSTEM
SWEEPS ACROSS, BUT EXPECT STRONG, GUSTY WINDS TO PREVAIL INTO
MONDAY. PEAK HEATING ON SUNDAY MAY ALLOW SOME OF THE STRONGER WINDS
TO MIX DOWN TO CREATE ANOTHER ROUND OF GUSTS GREATER THAN 30-40 MPH
AT TIMES IN THE DESERTS AND ON THE DESERT SLOPES.
OUTSIDE OF THE WINDS, AMPLE MOISTURE AND LIGHT RAIN WILL MOVE ACROSS
THE REGION EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. THE SNOW LEVELS WILL BE FALLING
FROM 7000FT ON SATURDAY TO AROUND 5500FT SUNDAY MORNING AS THE
SYSTEM SWEEPS THROUGH. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR SOME SNOW OR RAIN/SNOW
MIX FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 6000FT, ALTHOUGH LITTLE IN THE WAY OF
ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED. ELEVATIONS ABOVE 6500FT MAY SEE 1-2
INCHES OF SNOW, WHILE ONLY A DUSTING IS EXPECTED BELOW THIS
ELEVATION. LOWER ELEVATIONS AREN'T EXPECTED TO SEE MUCH RAINFALL
THROUGH THIS EVENT GIVEN THE MAIN CORRIDOR OF MOISTURE MOVES
SOUTHWARD INTO SAN DIEGO COUNTY SUNDAY MORNING. RAIN TOTALS BELOW
THE SNOW LEVEL COULD SEE ANYWHERE FROM 0.10-0.30" ACROSS SATURDAY
AND SUNDAY, WITH SLIGHTLY MORE EXPECTED IN SD COUNTY CLOSER TO 0.25-
0.50", LOCALLY HIGHER IN THE MOUNTAINS. ANY AND ALL PRECIPITATION
SHOULD COME TO AN END BY LATE MONDAY MORNING AS THE SYSTEM MOVES UP
INTO THE GREAT BASIN, WITH DRIER AIR FILLING IN BEHIND IT.
QUIETER WEATHER EXPECTED NEXT WEEK AS TEMPERATURES SLOWLY WARM UNDER
WEAK RIDGING SETTING UP BETWEEN A LARGER TROUGH OVER THE CENTRAL US
AND A DEEPENING LOW OFF THE COAST OF CA. THIS LOW COULD BE OUR NEXT
CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION, WITH SOME MODELS MORE AGGRESSIVE WITH ITS
APPROACH MID-WEEK, WHILE OTHERS SLOW THE SYSTEM. AT THIS POINT,
MOISTURE SEEMS TO BE LACKING A BIT WITH THIS LOW, SO TIMING WILL
IMPACT ANY RAIN CHANCES GREATLY. WE WILL BE KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON
THIS SYSTEM BUT WILL MANAGE EXPECTATIONS FOR NOW.
AVIATION
241745Z...COAST/VALLEYS...VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THIS
AFTERNOON. LOW CLOUDS BASED 2000-3000 FEET MSL TO RETURN TO COASTAL
AREAS 00-03Z WITH MORE UNIFORM COVERAGE AND INLAND EXTENT,
EVENTUALLY FILLING MOST OF THE COASTAL BASIN BY 12Z SATURDAY. BASES
LIKELY TO RISE ABOVE 3000 FT MSL SOMETIME 12-18Z SAT. FOR SATURDAY
AFTERNOON, SCT-BKN LOW CLOUDS BASED 3000-5000 FT MSL ALONG WITH
ISOLATED -SHRA.
MOUNTAINS/DESERTS...WESTERLY WINDS STRENGTHEN AFTER 23Z WITH
WIDESPREAD GUSTS 25-35 KTS, LOCALLY TO 45 KTS ALONG DESERT SLOPES
AND THROUGH MOUNTAIN PASSES. MODERATE UP/DOWNDRAFTS EXPECTED IN LEE
OF MTNS. AREAS BLDU (3-5SM) ALONG DESERT SLOPES AND LOCALLY INTO
DESERTS. WINDS MAY WEAKEN BY 5-10 KTS AFTER 15Z SAT, BUT ARE
EXPECTED TO STRENGTHEN FURTHER SATURDAY AFTERNOON.
OTHERWISE...SCT HIGH CLOUDS TODAY BECOMING BKN TONIGHT ONWARD.
MARINE
NO HAZARDOUS MARINE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH WEDNESDAY
MORNING, THOUGH BRISK WESTERLY WINDS 15 TO 20 KTS ARE EXPECTED EACH
AFTERNOON AND EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY.
SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
CA...WIND ADVISORY FROM 2 PM SATURDAY TO 11 AM PDT SUNDAY FOR APPLE
AND LUCERNE VALLEYS-COACHELLA VALLEY-SAN DIEGO COUNTY
DESERTS-SAN GORGONIO PASS NEAR BANNING.
PZ...NONE.
PUBLIC...ZUBER
AVIATION/MARINE...KW
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