Dry Santa Ana winds whipped into San Diego County Monday and will last well into Tuesday, keeping the marine layer offshore and allowing temperatures to rise above seasonal levels until things cool a bit on Thanksgiving, the National Weather Service says.
The gusts reached 61 mph at Ha Mountain north of Campo, 48 mph at Camp Pendleton, 44 mph at Mount Laguna and in Alpine, 42 mph on Sunrise Highway, 36 mph at Palomar Mountain and 35 mph at Lake Cuyamaca.
Forecasters said the sharp winds won’t subside until Tuesday afternoon and could periodically cause tricky driving conditions on parts of Interstates 8, 10 and 15, just as holiday travel is picking up.
The winds were especially strong Monday afternoon on Interstate 8 east of Alpine, gusting about 45 mph, and near the border of San Diego and Imperial counties. The winds were kicking up dust in some areas.
The offshore flow will linger into Wednesday, with diminishing strength. But forecasters say skies will be mostly clear through Thanksgiving.
Surfers were watching Monday’s winds to see if they would smooth the face of waves, creating the sort of glassy conditions they love. Sea surface temperatures will be in the 61-to-65-degree range.
San Diego’s daytime high is expected to reach 78 on Tuesday, 75 on Wednesday, 69 on Thursday and 68 on Friday. The seasonal high is 70.
The winds and temperatures aren’t expected to produce a significant risk of wildfires, due to last week’s rains. Since the rainy season began on Oct. 1, San Diego International Airport has recorded 0.28 inches of rain, which is 0.63 inches below average.
