San Diego County’s sunny winter weather will last well into next week

San Diego County’s 10-day stretch of fair weather is likely to continue into the middle of next week, largely due to periodic Santa Ana winds and a lack of moisture from the North Pacific, the National Weather Service says.

The region also will continue to be far warmer than usual. San Diego’s daytime high is expected to be 77 on Saturday, 75 on Sunday and 72 on Monday, which is Martin Luther King Day Jr. Day. The city’s seasonal high is 66. Escondido is expected to have a high of 80 on Saturday, 79 on Sunday and 77 on Monday. That city’s seasonal high is 68.

Long dry spells aren’t unusual during the winter in San Diego, even ones that last more than a couple of weeks. They usually don’t cause much of a stir unless the region is very dry, elevating the risk of wildfire. That isn’t the case at the moment.

San Diego International Airport has recorded 7.80 inches of precipitation since the rainy season began on Oct. 1. That’s 3.81 inches above average. Heavy rains fell statewide from just before Christmas to just after New Year’s Day.

California is completely free of drought for the first time in 25 years.