Unseasonably warm start to the week before a big cooldown

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - It's feeling more like late summer than November across Yuma and Imperial Counties, with unseasonably warm temperatures sticking around through midweek.

Highs Monday afternoon are expected to reach around 90 degrees in both Yuma and El Centro, just shy of record levels for this time of year.

The heat comes courtesy of a strong ridge of high pressure sitting over the western United States. While that ridge will begin to weaken over the next few days, temperatures will stay above normal, hovering in the mid-80s through Wednesday and Thursday.

Skies will remain mostly clear early in the week, though high clouds will increase by midweek as a Pacific storm system approaches the California coast.

By Thursday afternoon, that system will start to stir up breezier conditions, especially across southeastern California and southwestern Arizona.

A big change arrives Friday, when a fast-moving cold front sweeps through the region. Expect gusty winds up to 35–40 mph, a chance of scattered showers, and much cooler air behind the system.

Highs will drop into the upper 60s to low 70s by Friday afternoon, nearly 20 degrees cooler than the start of the week.

The weekend will feel much more like fall, with morning lows dipping into the upper 40s and low 50s. Cooler-than-normal temperatures are likely to stick around into early next week.

In short: Enjoy the warmth while it lasts, because a sharp cooldown is just days away.