Swell Matrix

Area Forecast Discussion

National Weather Service San Diego CA

1206 pm PDT Tue may 12 2026

Synopsis

Synopsis

Through Wednesday, a weak low pressure system moving into southern California will deepen the marine layer to around 3000 feet with night and morning coastal low clouds spreading farther into the valleys and with slower afternoon clearing for San Diego County coastal areas. It will be slightly warmer for Thursday and Friday with the marine layer decreasing in depth, then slightly cooler for the weekend.

A cooling trend will continue through Wednesday as weak low pressure passes through the region. Robust onshore flow will contribute to a deepening marine layer through tonight along with breezy conditions in the mountains and deserts today and Wednesday afternoon. Thereafter, a slight warming trend will commence for Thursday and Friday. This will be short lived as a weak low pressure system will bring another cooling trend and deepen the marine layer for the weekend.

Discussion

Discussion

For extreme southwestern California including Orange, San Diego, western Riverside and southwestern San Bernardino counties,

.SYNOPSIS, A cooling trend will continue through Wednesday as weak low pressure passes through the region. Robust onshore flow will contribute to a deepening marine layer through tonight along with breezy conditions in the mountains and deserts today and Wednesday afternoon. Thereafter, a slight warming trend will commence for Thursday and Friday. This will be short lived as a weak low pressure system will bring another cooling trend and deepen the marine layer for the weekend.

for extreme southwestern California including Orange, San Diego, western Riverside and southwestern San Bernardino counties,

A weak upper low just offshore is contributing to strengthening onshore flow and cooler temperatures today. South to southeast winds will turn out of the west this evening with gusts 25-45 mph for the deserts and desert slopes of the mountains both today and Wednesday afternoon/evening. On the west side of the mountains, visible satellite indicates that marine layer clouds have held strong over San Diego and Orange Counties through this morning. Additionally, temperatures through the coastal basin are 15 to 25 degrees cooler than yesterday at this time. All signs indicate that our first true "May Gray" day is upon us with coastal areas expected to stay cloudy through the afternoon. Low clouds will fill most if not all of the coastal basin tonight with areas of drizzle expected, especially near the coastline in the early morning. This will locally create minor visibility reductions. As the low pressure moves overhead on Wednesday, a weakened inversion and weaker onshore flow should allow for a mostly sunny afternoon.

Despite the cooling trend, temperatures will still reach the low 100s today across the low deserts. Even Wednesday, which is expected to be the coolest day, will be around 5-8 degrees above normal in the deserts with temperatures nearing 100 again in the Coachella Valley. Meanwhile, temperatures will remain near to slightly below average in the coastal basin through Wednesday. Starting Thursday, a weak upper ridge will attempt to nudge into the region. This will bump temperatures up by a few degrees for all areas and decrease the depth of the marine layer for both Thursday and Friday. Thus, temperatures in the low deserts are expected to reach back into the low 100s Thursday through Saturday.

Model guidance begins to diverge slightly over the weekend, but the general consensus is that an upper low pressure system will pass to the north sometime late Saturday into early Sunday. This will herald increased onshore flow and a cooling trend resulting in near average temperatures for all areas by Sunday. A minority of model solutions produce a few hundredths of an inch of QPF for coastal areas Sunday into early Monday. However, this likely reflects the potential for marine layer drizzle and nothing more. Beyond this weekend, guidance leans toward a warming trend and slightly above normal temperatures through mid next week.

Aviation

121800z, Coast/Valleys, BKN-OVC low clouds with bases mostly 1400- 2800 ft MSL will slowly clear inland areas through 20Z, if low clouds clear the coast it will be intermittent and patchy. Low clouds will spread inland after 01Z, and rapidly fill the entire coastal basin to the foothills overnight into Wednesday. Bases will be 1500- 2500 ft MSL overnight. KSNA/KSAN/KONT have 30 percent chance of low clouds falling below 1000 ft Tue PM-Wed AM. Vis reduced 0-5SM over higher valley terrain, foothills, and in coastal -DZ most likely 10- 15Z. Slow clearing is expected again Wed AM.

Mountains/Deserts, SCT high clouds and VFR conditions into Wed. SE winds with gusts 25-35 kt through 00Z Wed becoming NW with local gusts to 40 kt through 16Z Wed.

Marine

No hazardous marine conditions are expected through Sunday.

Watches, Warnings, Advisories

Ca, None. PZ, None.

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