When we think of August, it conjures up ideas of the height of summer fun, with hot days spent soaking up the sun at the beach or licking a drippy ice cream cone. This year, however, forecasters are predicting a colder, grayer—maybe even rainier—August than Southern California has seen in some time, and this week may be particularly unseasonable.
According to a National Weather Service advisory, we’re looking at a system that is bringing below-average temperatures as well as a marine layer with thick clouds and fog that may only partially burn off as the days continue. You can think of it as something like a ‘June gloom’ for August (should we call it August ashen? Summer saturninity?)
That said, don’t let a little fog totally get between you and whatever you might have had planned for this weekend just yet. While the cold and drizzle may be hanging around until Friday, it will start to warm back up once the weekend rolls around. There may still be some lingering clouds along the coastlines, but it’ll be closer to typical August temperatures. Sunday will be the warmest and brightest day—based on current predictions, Sunday might even be a full 4 to 8 degrees above the August standard high of 82 degrees.
That weekend warm-up will be short-lived, however, because by Monday, things will start cooling back down again.
Remember how we were supposed to be entering a hot, dry La Niña pattern? Climatologists still think that is on the horizon, but it’ll be coming into the foreground once we’re into autumn.