Global Courant
On the first official summer daySkies across most of Southern California were finally sunny Wednesday, prompting people to come out to enjoy the rare rays after particularly persistent cloudy weather cast a gloomy hue to the region for weeks.
From Los Angeles to San Diego, Tuesday and Wednesday became the first real reprieve from the lingering gloom of June and gray of May (and nothing rhymes with April, but it was boring then, too). But forecasters say the clearing trend isn’t necessarily a lasting trend.
Still, the sun and mid-70s temperatures were welcome to the many who wanted to enjoy it while it lasted – and perfectly timed for the longest day of the year.
Huntington Beach was buzzing Wednesday morning as Southern California’s almost postcard day kicked off. At least 200 surfers were on the water and every volleyball court was packed, as bikers and dog walkers passed by.
Students Ryan Rocco and Carson Geiling left Oceanside at 6 a.m. to catch the morning waves at the Huntington Beach Pier.
“When it’s that sunny, it’s 10 times better,” Geiling said. “It’s easier to get into the water.”
Sofia Kirk and Ashley Siharath were visiting from Oklahoma, and while they were in town for the VidCon convention — which brings together online video stars and their fans — they made sure to stop at the beach. It was Kirk’s first time seeing the ocean.
“I’m so overwhelmed,” she said, trying to hold back tears.
Their Uber driver told them it had been gloomy so far this year, but the sun had made for a scenic visit since their arrival on Tuesday.
Further south in Laguna Beach, Adali Roman hoped the sunny weather would spell a good day for his Mexican restaurant.
“Weather is a big factor here, especially on the beach,” says Roman, Carmelitas’ general manager. “On gloomy days I can predict how the day will go: we will have a slow morning and day, but in the evening it picks up again. On sunny days it is more constant.”
“We depend on the summer and the tourists coming in – business goes hand in hand with the weather,” he said.
Further inland, in LA’s Griffith Park, Leeza Jinian went out with her friend and her friend’s granddaughter to take advantage of the warmer weather.
“It’s a good change,” said the 57-year-old Franklin Hills resident. “We suffered from the weather in Chicago, gloom in June. Now we can take the kids to the park so they can have fun and get some vitamin D.”
But Jinian said she has really enjoyed the recent gloomy weather — and even the record rains earlier this spring and winter, which have changed the drought-stricken state.
“I like the crunch and the cold,” she said. “I like rain. I hope we get more rain when it’s October and November. That would be welcome.”
Jinian said she collected a lot of water for her plants during the winter storms; her apricot tree has bloomed in the cooler and wetter weather, producing at least 200 apricots so far.
Beachgoers enjoy the first day of summer on Santa Monica Beach.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Outside the Monrovia Public Library, 30-year-old Dayla Quinones was picnicking with friends under a tree and soaking up the sun, which she said lifts her mood.
“I feel happy. I feel encouraged to be more active. It’s therapeutic. Just being here in the warmer breeze, it’s therapy,” she said. “I don’t want to be in the cold, gloomy nausea.”
At Irwindale’s Santa Fe Dam, the new sunshine brought Ashley Garcia and her family to the recreation area to picnic and lounge in hammocks.
“It’s perfect weather,” she said. “Not too hot, not too cold.”
However, that “perfect” balance is likely to tip back into chilly territory, according to forecasters.
“We are still looking at conditions that could allow for a return of the marine layer,” said David Sweet, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “It’s not going to be a situation where (the gloom) is definitely over — it’s not all or nothing.”
But there is some hope for next week, he said.
“That low pressure area over California will slowly weaken next week,” Sweet said. “It’s not going away, but it’s getting weaker. As a result… we may begin to see better clearing and warming temperatures.”
Tuesday and Wednesday’s break from the clouds resulted from northerly winds quickly clearing the persistent marine layer, but it is expected to linger for the rest of the week, possibly all afternoon, Sweet said.
A new low-pressure system moving into Central California will bring more clouds and cooler weather Thursday through the weekend, forecasters said. It is also expected to bring breezy conditions to the mountains and deserts and cooler temperatures across the region — after peaks were expected to be reached in some areas in the mid-70s on Wednesday.
“Temperatures are going to drop tomorrow. They’re going to be about 5 to 10 degrees cooler than the temperatures we expect today,” said Elizabeth Adams, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego. “Noticeably cooler tomorrow.”
Even if conditions cool over the next few days, there should be some clearing of the marine layer, but more likely in the late morning to early afternoon – not 8am like the last two days.
“It’s hard to say if we’re going to leave (the gloom of June) in the rearview mirror, but we’re starting to enter the time of year where (the marine layer) … isn’t going to stick around all day,” Adams said.
Ever since April, there’s been a weather pattern in the region that “keeps the marine layer stronger, it really pushes that cooler sea air toward the land,” Adams said. “We’re starting to lose that pattern a little bit.”
Adams pointed to the latest from the National Weather Service long-term prognosiswhich shows that at the end of June and the beginning of July real summer weather could finally emerge, with temperatures above average for the first time in months.
Where’s our sunny Southern California weather? It’s just been so sparse since last fall,” Adams said. “We may start looking at warmer temperatures for the first week of July.”
Kate Bondarenko, 32, will be among those welcoming that future sunshine. The Burbank resident worked on her laptop under some trees in Griffith Park Wednesday morning while her young children rode around on scooters.
“This year, the gloomy weather is taking a bit longer,” Bondarenko said. “It’s okay for me, but sometimes I want more sunny weather like today. I feel happier in sunny weather.”
Times staff writer Saumya Gupta contributed to this report.
