Chill Hits Town With Plans for the Weekend

The big chill from the north has come for a visit, bringing San Diego’s lowest temperatures in two years. And the big chill plans to stay awhile--at least for the weekend, forecasters say.

The National Weather Service station at Lindbergh Field recorded a low of 41 degrees Friday morning, the city’s lowest mercury reading since Jan. 2, 1983, according to forecaster Harvey Hastrup.

Some locales got much colder. Mount Laguna got down to 10 degrees and never got higher than 34. Other low readings included Cuyamaca Park at 22, Campo at 23, Ramona at 26, Santee at 28, El Cajon and Poway at 31 and Point Loma at 32.

The cold weather is expected to hold for the weekend, with a chance of light showers.

Forecasters Friday issued their second frost warning in as many days to the county’s produce growers. However, growers said Friday that their crops had weathered the chill so far.

A ridge of high pressure that stretches along the West Coast from the Gulf of Alaska to central Baja California is funneling the cold air from northern latitudes, Hastrup said. The weather pattern contains “upper level disturbances,” he said, that may result in some rain today and Sunday, especially in the inland valleys and mountains.

The outlook for today and Sunday calls for mild breezes and mostly clear or partly cloudy skies, with early-morning lows of 39 to 44 along the coast, and lows of 30 to 40 inland. The high temperatures for all areas will range from 54 to 60, Hastrup said.

There is a 20%chance of light showers this afternoon, increasing to 30%during the night. Precipitation is more likely in the mountains today, with a snow level of 4,000 feet. Colder temperatures are expected Sunday, with lows of 15 to 25 and highs of 27 to 37. Another snowfall Sunday could move the snow level down to 3,500 feet, Hastrup said.

The deserts are expected to have lows of 30 to 40, and highs of 50 to 60 degrees.