REGION’S WEATHER TO START WEEK OFF WARM

Moderate Santa Ana winds could raise wildfire risk midweek

San Diego County will be unusually warm today — the first day of winter — as mild Santa Ana winds move from the mountains to the sea. But the rest of Christmas week will be much cooler, and there’s a chance of rain over the weekend.

The National Weather Service says the weak offshore winds that gave the region a summery feel on Sunday will continue today. The daytime high is expected to reach 75 in San Diego, 79 in Escondido and 61 in Julian.

It appears that the winds will keep the marine layer offshore during the early part of the evening, allowing people to enjoy a rare grand conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter. It will be visible just above the southwestern horizon shortly after sunset. The two planets will look like they’re melding together, even though they will be 450 million miles apart.

Forecasters say that a Pacific trough will drop into Southern California on Tuesday, pushing cool marine air onshore. The daytime high in San Diego will be 65, which is seasonal. Escondido is expected to top out at 69 while Julian should reach 55.

The weather will warm a few degrees on Wednesday and Thursday, when another round of Santa Ana winds winds pop up. But Christmas Day will be crisp, with the forecast calling for San Diego’s daytime high peak to hit 67 while Escondido is expected to go to 59 and Julian hits 51.

Forecasters say that a significant storm out of the North Pacific might drop far enough south to bring San Diego County rain over the weekend. But the forecast models have yet to bring the system into clear view.