Post-Priscilla Weather Is Returning to Normal

This has been a Wall Street-like week for the weather. Since Monday, temperatures have fluctuated wildly, humidity soared in the morning and plummeted in the afternoon, and a record was almost broken.

However, the week closes today with nearly normal conditions and is expected to remain stable through Sunday. Today’s high at Lindbergh Field will be near 78, National Weather Service forecaster Wilbur Shigehara said.

The week started with a sizzle Monday when the mercury climbed rapidly from 80 degrees at 1 p.m. to 100 by 3 p.m., Shigehara said. “It was hot, but no cigar,” he said, noting that Monday’s temperature was one degree shy of the record set for Sept. 25 in 1978.

Tuesday was cool in comparison at 80 degrees, but it did mark the 26th anniversary of the hottest day ever recorded in San Diego, Shigehara said. In 1963, a Santa Ana caused thermometers to reach an unprecedented 111 degrees.

San Diego has been feeling the aftermath of Tropical Storm Priscilla, about 700 miles due south of here. Although Priscilla did not grow into a hurricane as meteorologists predicted earlier this week, the storm did leave a blast of heat and moisture in its wake, Shigehara said.

“Priscilla is dead, but her corpse keeps affecting us,” Shigehara said. “We can partially blame this week’s heat and humidity on . . . Priscilla.”

“There is a lot of energy in these tropical storms,” Shigehara explained. “As a tropical storm or a hurricane expires, there is still a lot of energy in the form of heat and clouds and moisture that gets released.”

A high-pressure system hovering over the Southwest has contributed to the heat and humidity, Shigehara said.

Nevertheless, a low-pressure system is slowly wafting in from the west, creating a slight cooling trend, Shigehara said. The result: a “nearly normal weekend.”

Beach highs today will range from 70 to 75 and drop a few degrees Saturday and Sunday, Shigehara said. The water temperature is 67, and the surf is at 2 to 3 feet.

There will be early-morning low clouds and fog through the weekend along the coastal strip, but afternoons will be clear and sunny, Shigehara said. The humidity will return to seasonal, about 65%, he said.

Coastal highs today will be from 76 to 83, and from 75 to 81 Saturday and Sunday. Overnight lows will be 64 to 68 degrees.

Inland highs today will range from 84 to 94, and decrease slightly each day through the weekend. Lows will be 58 to 64 tonight, and between 57 and 63 Saturday night, Shigehara said.

Sunny and fair conditions are expected for the mountains, Shigehara said. Highs through the weekend will range from the mid 70s to the low 80s, and overnight lows will be in the low 50s.

The desert will also experience lots of sunshine and a slight cooling trend through Sunday, Shigehara said. The highs will range from 104 to 108, dropping a few degrees each day. Lows will stay mainly in the 70s tonight and Saturday.