San Diego County will be unusually warm on Monday, the first day of winter, as gentle Santa Ana winds move from the mountains to the sea. But the rest of the Christmas week will be much cooler, and chances are it will rain on the weekend.
The National Weather Service says the weak offshore winds that gave the region a summer feel on Sunday will continue on Monday. The daytime high is expected to hit 75 degrees in San Diego, 79 in Escondido and 61 in Julian.
It appears that the winds will keep the marine layer out to sea during the early afternoon, allowing people to enjoy a rare great conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter. It will be visible just above the southwest horizon shortly after sunset. The two planets will appear to be merging, although they will be 450 million miles apart (full story here).
Forecasters say a Pacific channel will fall in Southern California on Tuesday, pushing cold sea air toward the coast. The daytime high in San Diego will be 65 degrees, which is seasonal. Escondido is expected to hit 69, while Julian should hit 55.
The weather will warm a few degrees Wednesday and Thursday when another round of Santa Ana winds show up. But Christmas Day will be cool, with San Diego’s daytime high forecast to hit 67 degrees while expect Escondido to hit 59 and Julian to 51.
Forecasters say a significant North Pacific storm could fall far enough to bring San Diego County rain over the weekend. But the prediction models have not yet put the system into view.
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