San Diego will be among hottest spots in the nation Wednesday and Thursday

San Diego is likely to be one of the hottest spots in the country Wednesday, Thursday and possibly Friday when Santa Ana winds and high pressure push temperatures into the 80s.

Forecasters project that San Diego International Airport, which has a seasonal high of 66 this time of year, will get to 81 on Wednesday, 79 on Thursday and 80 on Friday.

But the temperatures could turn out to be significantly higher.

“Our temperature forecasts are notoriously low on extreme events like this because we tend to overstate the sea breeze,” said Alex Tardy, a weather service forecaster.

“The Santa Anas will keep the breeze offshore. The range of temperatures across the city of San Diego could go from 80 to 86.”

Some inland areas could reach the low 90s, partly due to the Santa Anas, which will kick up late Wednesday and last into Thursday, producing gusts to 30 mph to 40 mph. The relatively humidity will drop to 10 to 15 percent.

The hot weather will affect all of Southern California and will last into Sunday, when Super Bowl 56 is held in Inglewood. The weather service has issued an extreme heat watch for Orange County and the Inland Empire, where temperatures could climb to 86 to 91. The watch will be in effect from 11 a.m. Wednesday to 6 p.m. Friday.

San Diego’s winter hot spell represents a complete turnaround. The city went more than 40 days without reaching 70 during a period that stretched from late November to nearly mid-January. The last time San Diego hit 80 or above was on Nov. 22, when it got to 82.

The weather service says the above average temperatures will fade early next week and there’s a small chance that showers will spritz the county. Forecasters also say its possible that San Diego will not get any rain in February.