‘Bit of Every Season': Temps Set Heat Records Ahead of Weekend Cold Front

A drastic warm-up Thursday sent temperatures soaring into record-breaking digits just days before a cold front pushes chilly weather into the region.

San Diego County will see "a little bit of every season going on as we head through the week here," Meteorologist Sheena Parveen said in NBC 7's First Alert Forecast.

Four places saw record high temperatures for this time of year, according to the National Weather Service. They include:

• the San Diego International Airport with a high of 84 degrees, beating out its record of 83 degrees set in 1883
• the Oceanside Harbor with a record high of 78 degrees. The previous record of 76 degrees was set in 1980
• El Cajon with a high of 85 degrees. The previous record of 84 was set in 1980
• Escondido tied with its 1926 record of 86 degrees

On Thursday, temperatures are expected to spike with some areas seeing readings about 20 degrees above normal for this time of year, Parveen said.

By 11 a.m. temperatures were already in the 80s along the coast and in the inland valleys despite some cloud coverage.

Temperatures were expected to reach 87 degrees in El Cajon, 84 in Mira Mesa, 81 in Ramona, 82 in San Diego, 86 in Temecula and 79 in Oceanside, according to the National Weather Service.

Here are the highest and lowest daytime temperatures of the week. Warm and toasty today, but cloudy and even some wet weather for some on the way Sunday. Which day do you prefer? 🥵 🥶 #cawx #winterwx pic.twitter.com/QdrkXnRGSB

— NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) February 27, 2020

San Diego will see unseasonably warm temperatures through Friday due to a high-pressure system that is pushing offshore winds from east to west. Once the system clears, a cold front from the north will bring cooler weather to San Diego.

"As we head into the weekend, we have some big changes -- cooler temperatures and rain that will be moving in, too," Parveen said.

Areas west of the mountains can expect temperatures to drop into the much more seasonable 60- and 70-degree on Saturday -- about a 20-degree difference from Thursday's expected highs.

The cold front will also bring a chance for light showers as early as late Saturday, though significant rainfall isn't likely to reach San Diego County until Sunday afternoon, Parveen said.

Mountain snow is also likely and ranges as low as 4,500 feet could receive at least a dusting.

Rain may continue into Monday but the storm system should clear by the afternoon, according to NWS.