Dry Air Moving Into Southland Will Ease the Humidity a Bit

A gradual shift of upper-level winds should bring Southern California some relief this weekend from the humidity--and inland thundershowers--that have disturbed the past few days, forecasters said Thursday.

Steve Newman, chief meteorologist for Earth Environment Service, a private forecasting firm based in San Francisco, said storm and flash-flood activity should decrease today and Saturday, with dry air moving into the area over the weekend.

“This is California’s typical monsoon season,” Newman said, “and while it continues, you can expect occasional disturbances. But for the short run, which is the next two or three days, things should be drier and warmer.”

High temperature at the Los Angeles Civic Center on Thursday reached 87 degrees, with relative humidity ranging from 90% in the early morning to 51% by late afternoon. The National Weather Service said it should be about as warm, but a little less humid, today and Saturday.

Fog and low clouds should move into the beaches overnight, but forecasters said they will burn away before noon, clearing the way for afternoon air temperatures from the mid-60s to mid-70s (water temperature in the upper 60s), with surf running to three feet or so in most places and as high as five feet on southwest-facing beaches.

The weather service said Hurricane Hillary, now blowing itself to pieces about 800 miles south of San Diego, could generate waves that might prove dangerous if combined with extremely high tides that are expected to result in a minor tidal overflow for the next three nights.

Some of those tides will top seven feet, but the weather service and Earth Environment Service agreed that they are not likely to form any dangerous combination with Hillary’s waves.

Forecasters said there is a slight chance of thunderstorm activity offshore from Point Conception to the Mexican border, with southwest-to-west winds rising to 15 knots on two-foot seas in inland waters and northwest winds to 20 knots with two-foot seas farther out.

Mountain weekenders face the prospect of partly cloudy skies, with a chance of thunderstorms tonight and Saturday afternoon and afternoon temperatures from the low 80s to the low 90s.

More thunderstorms were expected today and Saturday in the deserts.