SAN DIEGO — So much for winter: It’s downright summery in much of San Diego County Wednesday.
A stretch of unseasonably high temperatures was in full effect at mid-week, with thermometers reading 80 degrees or more around the region by 10 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. Highs were expected to reach well into the 80s and even get close to 90 in some spots, forecasters said.
The high in El Cajon was expected to reach about 88 degrees Wednesday. That was followed closed by 87 degrees in Escondido and 86 in Mira Mesa.
Closer to the coast, neighborhoods were expected to top out in the low 80s. That’s cooler than East County, but compared to an average February temperature of around 65 degrees, it’s very unusually warm.
The high temperatures are expected to continue into the weekend across Southern California. Numerous record highs could be broken as the region experiences some of the hottest weather in the country, according to the NWS. On Tuesday, Anaheim had the highest high in the nation at 87 degrees.
The dry and warm conditions will be accompanied by another familiar phenomenon: gusty winds.
“It’s pretty classic Santa Ana weather conditions,” said James Brotherton, a meteorologist at the NWS office in San Diego. High pressure is causing air to flow from the desert toward the coast, compressing and becoming hotter as it channels through mountain passes and decreases in elevation, he explained.
The results for you? Not just the unusually hot conditions, but also dry skin and chapped lips for San Diegans sensitive to the accompanying low humidity.
And in San Diego County mountains and valleys, wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour are possible over the coming days. In the city of San Diego, expect breezy conditions but nothing approaching that level of gustiness, Brotherton said.
To the north, the Inland Empire and Orange County are under a heat advisory from late Wednesday morning through Sunday evening. Residents were encouraged to drink plenty of water and avoid strenuous outdoor activities during the hottest part of the day.