Time to Shed the Gloom : Warmer, Sunnier--and It’s About Time!

Sunshine, a rare occurrence of late in San Diego, will appear again in small doses this weekend, the National Weather Service said.

When the sunshine breaks through in the afternoon hours, gradually increasing through Sunday along with the temperature, it will help to cheer up San Diegans grumpy over the gray skies of recent weeks.

Normal possible sunshine for May is 58%, according to forecaster Wilbur Shigehara, but so far this month it has been only 45%. The record for the least sunshine in May is 39%, set in 1901.

The bad news is that it is June, not May, that is the cloudiest month of the year, according to Shigehara. San Diegans can expect an average of only 57% of possible sunshine beginning Monday.

Clear Skies Due on Weekend

However briefly they may appear, clear skies this weekend will be welcome to those who have postponed outdoor outings the last three weekends.

“It’s been really gloomy, but some relief is in sight this weekend,” Shigehara said. “There will be some sunshine and temperatures will be up slightly. We’ll be really close to having typical late May weather, with the night and morning clouds clearing to some afternoon sunshine.”

Ken Ryan, senior clinical psychologist with the San Diego County Department of Mental Health, said he hadn’t noticed any increase in people behaving differently because of the weather, but he had heard a lot of people grumbling about the gray skies.

“People are talking about it but it’s not the end of the world,” Ryan said. “Some people simply feel externals more strongly, think, ‘If it’s gray, I’m blue.’ These people are the ones experiencing irritability because of the clouds.

“The weather’s effect on a person has to do with that person’s expectations. If they expect sunny weather, the clouds will affect them in a depressing way. It’s a matter of perspective. While some people say, ‘I wish the sun would come out, I want to get a tan,’ others say, ‘I’m getting much more work done since I’m staying inside.’ ”

The shift toward more typical weather can be traced to a low-pressure system that is slowly moving east after stalling over the West Coast for the last few weeks, Shigehara said.

“This low pressure was trapping layers upon layers of clouds over San Diego,” he said. “There was no possible way the sun could burn off so many layers. Also, the slightest weather front would touch off showers or drizzle because it had so many cloud layers it could affect.”

Temperatures Due to Rise

Temperatures will be on the rise as the afternoon clouds burn off. While the highs at Lindbergh Field have remained relatively normal during the gray spell, inland highs are about 10 degrees below average for this time of year.

The high at the airport was 67 degrees Thursday, two degrees below normal for the date. However, highs in inland areas such as Santee and Escondido have hovered around 70 degrees for most of May, while 80 degrees is where they should be, according to Shigehara.

Coastal areas will have highs between 67 and 72 today, creeping up a couple of degrees each day through Sunday. Lows will remain in the 57- to 62-degree range all three days. Surf will be two to four feet, with the ocean temperature near 65.

Inland highs will range from 69 to 75 today, again jumping a few degrees each day through Sunday. Overnight lows will be 49 to 57 through the weekend.

Mountain areas will be spared the clouds, except for some fog on the coastal mountain slopes. Mountain highs will be between 58 and 66 all three days. The lack of clouds will keep overnight temperatures quite cold, with lows in the 34- to 42-degree range through Sunday.

The desert also will be clear, with highs in the upper 80s and low 90s all weekend and lows in the 50s.

“People do get a little grouchy when they don’t see the sunshine, more so in San Diego because it’s rare when we don’t get the sun,” Shigehara said. “Hopefully, the weekend weather forecast will put people in a little better mood.”