Dramatic Weather Shift To Hit SoCal

CALIFORNIA — The Southland is set to trade May grey for warmth and sunshine this week.

As swaths of commuters navigate wet roads and thunderstorms on Monday morning, a dramatic shift in the weather is expected to dry up Southern California by mid-week, significantly warming up the region after a particularly gloomy Spring, according to the National Weather Service.

Southland residents could be experiencing their last rainy days before fall, as the region heads into its dry season.

The rain and snowfall were welcome news last week, as the southern reaches of the state are suffering yet again from widespread drought. But these spring storms aren't expected to help much on that front.

The weekend rain was expected to have "little to no impact on the Southern California drought since the amounts will be rather low," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Chad Merrill said last week.

However, the spring storm did bring significant snow above 8,000 feet to Big Bear and "heavy" snow to the top of San Jacinto Peak, which is accessible by the popular Palm Springs Tramway, according to multiple reports.

Monday is likely to bring more light showers and fog to communities from inland Riverside County to the coastal areas of Los Angeles County. While much of the region has experienced cold temperatures, light rain and grey skies for what has felt like an extended period this season, sunnier skies are finally on the horizon, according to forecasters.

The drying and warming trend is expected to begin Tuesday and Wednesday in some areas, bringing temperatures up to the low 70s along the coast in San Diego County to the mid-90s in the Inland Empire. The lower deserts are expected to hit 102 to 108 degrees, the NWS said.

Although the region is expected to heat up quite a bit, forecasters said record-breaking temperatures aren't likely.

"The existing record high temperatures on Saturday for Riverside, Lake Elsinore and Palm Springs are so high that new high temperature records for that date are unlikely," according to NWS officials.

In Orange County, inland temperatures will climb to around 72 degrees on Wednesday, rising to 84 degrees by Thursday and peaking near 89 degrees in some areas by Saturday. Coastal spots like San Clemente will remain milder, with highs reaching 72 degrees on Thursday and 74 on Friday.

Los Angeles County will see a similar trend. Downtown LA is expected to hit 80 degrees on Thursday and 85 on Friday, while coastal areas such as Malibu will top out around 70 degrees on Friday.

"It is safe to say that a warming trend will continue through at least Friday away from the coast," San Diego area forecasters said on Monday.

However, this isn't a guarantee that the Southland should expect ideal beach weather, as forecasters warn clouds could cling to the coast.

"As it is May, there is a chance that low clouds and fog could hug the coast into late week as subsidence aloft could clamp down on the marine layer depth and tighten the marine inversion," officials wrote in a NWS forecast discussion Monday. "This would likely keep some marine layer induced low clouds into the beaches into the afternoon and keep the temperatures near persistence."

Heightened temperatures are expected to "level off" into cooler weather over the weekend, the NWS said.