Weekend Weather : Forecast Shapes Up as Invitation to the Beach

Southern California will be slightly warmer over the weekend, the National Weather Service says, but there will be no startling changes as the coastal areas continue to have night and morning low clouds.

Los Angeles is expected to have high temperatures in the 80s, while the valleys are apt to swelter in the 90s by Saturday.

Thursday’s Civic Center high was 82 after an overnight low of 64. Relative humidity ranged between 83% and 40%.

Forecasters said beaches should see weekend readings into the upper 70s, with surf running two to three feet and water temperature about 10 degrees cooler than the air. A 16-m.p.h. sea breeze is expected in the afternoon, which should raise wind waves to four or five feet in the San Pedro Channel.

There could be some afternoon thundershowers in the southeast California mountains and deserts by Saturday, but they are not expected to reach the Los Angeles area. Mountain temperatures are expected to reach the 80s at resort levels, while northern deserts are expecting temperatures of 100 degrees or more, and the southern deserts could find the mercury nearing the 110-degree mark.

Thunderstorms were touching off flash-flood watches through southeast Arizona Thursday, but the weekend is expected to be dry and sunny in most places. Las Vegas skies are expected to be clear, with readings rising to 100 degrees and beyond.