If you’re headed to the beach to kick off the holiday weekend, make sure you pack a sweater with your sunscreen and beach towels – it will be a chilly start to the holiday weekend.
Memorial Day typically marks the “unofficial” start of summer, a time when people start thinking about beach days and barbecues, a warm up as kids are set free for summer break.
But this holiday weekend will kick off with a thick marine layer lingering Friday and Saturday, an abundance of clouds and a chance for drizzle along the coastline, said Brian Adams, meteorologist for the National Weather Service.
Temps will be in the low to mid 60s on Friday and Saturday – but the good news is there’s a bit of a warm up toward the end of the weekend on Sunday and Monday, with temps into the upper 60s and possibly even into the low 70s by Memorial Day.
While morning clouds will likely still appear on Sunday and Monday, the sun is expected to come out by the afternoon.
“The first half of the weekend will be a gloomy start, but we expect it to be gone by Monday,” he said.
Don’t let those sunny skies fool you – water temps are still frigid, in the lower 60s and even upper 50s in some areas, he said.
Ocean conditions are expected to be mild, with no big uptick in swell, but there’s always rip current danger to watch for when out in the water.
“It’s always good to know your limitations,” Adams said.
If caught in a rip current, swim parallel instead of trying to fight it, he said.
Summer outlook
It may be a cool kickoff to summer, but experts expect it to heat up soon enough.
The National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center believes El Niño is transitioning out, and La Niña is on its way in for the later half of summer.
The prediction center calls for about a 50% chance of La Niña developing in June through August and a 69% chance it will show up between July and September.
“Once that occurs later this summer, the La Niña phase favors warmer temps in the summer,” Adams said. “There’s definitely potential for this to be a rather hot summer for most locations, but that jury is still out.”
La Niña generally tends to follow strong El Niño events, according to the center.
La Niña could also mean monsoonal weather with thunderstorms in the mountains and increased humidity along the coast.
“Exactly when that onset will occur is unknown at this point, we’ll have more information as it gets closer,” he said.
Before that transition happens, expect the typical “June Gloom” conditions in coming weeks, meaning overcast skies and drizzle along the coast.
“It’s looking pretty likely we’ll be dealing with June Gloom as a pretty prevalent scene throughout the next month,” Adams said.
