Today will be our transition day into cooler weather this weekend as the ridge of high pressure decides to back off, allowing cooler air to filter in.
It'll still be warm and muggy today, but daytime highs will run a few degrees cooler and trend slightly above average. Monsoonal moisture will decrease over the next few days, lessening the chances of mountain thunderstorms.
An Excessive Heat Warning for the deserts ends at 8 p.m. today. Desert highs will climb up to 118 degrees, and a warm night ahead will be in the 80s and 90s.
By Sunday, temperatures will plummet 5 to 10 degrees, and highs will trend slightly below average! Expect low to mid-70s at the coast, low to upper 80s inland to the mountains, and below 110 in the deserts.
It will be breezy now through Saturday, especially in the mountains and deserts, where westerly winds of 35 to 50mph will be possible. Due to the heat and gusty winds, expect elevated fire danger.
Cooler and drier air moves this weekend as a trough of low-pressure dives south, pushing the dominant high-pressure ridge and monsoon moisture away to the east.
The marine layer will also spread farther inland this weekend, clearing back to the coast each day.
It will be warmer by the end of next week, and monsoon flow returns, pumping in higher humidity again and a chance of mountain and desert storms by the weekend.
Friday's Highs:
Coast: 75-86°
Inland: 85-98°
Mountains: 90-100°
Deserts: 114-118°
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