By now, you’ve likely heard from all the friends and relatives buried in snow and grappling with freezing temperatures in other parts of the country, envious of our balmy, summer-like weather.
There’s plenty to boast about in Southern California as warm weather lingers, and surely you’ve sent a photo or two to rub in the fact that here it’s unseasonably toasty — even borderline hot — as the rest of the nation shivers and suffers.
“It’s supposed to be winter, but we are certainly not experiencing that here in Southern California,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Sebastian Wesperink. “All the cold air is being funneled into the Eastern United States and we’re left with the ridge. We get all the warmer air on our side of the country.”
This week will get even warmer, according to the National Weather Service. But don’t fret, winter weather is right around the corner.
Last weekend had temps reaching into the 80s. There’s a mild cool down continuing Tuesday, but by Wednesday, temps will get into the mid-to-upper 80s, in some areas 90s. Even the coast will get into the upper 70s, low 80s.
“At some point, we’ll start cooling down at the end of the week, and we’ll see some changes this weekend and in the future,” Wesperink said.
Temperatures will get back to their seasonal average this weekend, into the mid-60s.
There’s a slight chance for rainfall this weekend and a better chance for more hefty rainfall the following week.
By mid-February, there could be a big change with cooler conditions prevailing — maybe even a chance of snowfall in the mountains, something that has been lacking this winter in Southern California. Nearby mountain towns have been struggling without the layers of white stuff to drive tourism.
“There’s still things to be sorted out, but the changes are certainly looking up relative to what we’ve seen,” Wesperink said. “We’ve had an impressive amount of rainfall that came all at once, but the snowfall has been lacking. The potential systems in mid-February appear to be cooler. Nothing is set in stone, at this point, but that’s what it’s looking like at the moment.”