A stubborn October heat wave pushed temperatures past 100 degrees across much of Southern California over the weekend, setting daily records from Burbank to northern San Diego County, and forecasters say meaningful relief is not expected until late this week.
More than 35 million people were under heat alerts Sunday as highs ran as much as 20 degrees above normal for early October from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Mexican border, ABC News reported. Extreme heat warnings covering the Los Angeles and San Diego areas, including coastal and valley parts of Los Angeles County and much of Orange County, remain in effect until 8 p.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. Heat advisories were posted Sunday for San Francisco and Sacramento.
The Weather Channel blamed a persistent dome of high pressure parked over the West and said overnight lows in the 70s in Los Angeles and San Diego are offering little chance to cool down.
Three days of records
On Friday, downtown Los Angeles reached 103 degrees, breaking the date’s previous record of 101 set in 1995, according to National Weather Service figures reported by CBS Los Angeles. Long Beach also hit 103, topping a 1958 mark of 98. Santa Ana climbed to 105 to beat a record of 101 that had stood since 1945, and Burbank tied its record of 102.
The records kept falling Saturday. ABC News reported that at least eight Southern California cities set daily highs, with Anaheim and San Diego reaching 105 degrees and Santa Ana 107. Vista, north of San Diego, hit 108, tying the city’s all-time high from June 30, 1985.
The streak continued Sunday. Burbank reached 101, edging past a 1964 record of 100, and Anaheim hit 101, beating a 98-degree mark from 2020 for its second straight day of record heat, forecasters told the Los Angeles Daily News.
Paul Deanno, chief meteorologist at CBS Los Angeles, said downtown Los Angeles was forecast to see seven straight days above 97 degrees; the city had never before recorded more than three consecutive October days that hot. Some inland communities could log nine or more days in a row of triple-digit heat, the station reported.
The heat is also spreading. Highs in the upper 80s on Monday could challenge daily records as far north as Boise, Idaho, and Billings, Montana, and Denver could approach a record as well, ABC News reported.
Grid, fire and beach concerns
The California Independent System Operator, which manages the state’s power grid, has asked power suppliers to avoid taking generators or transmission lines offline for maintenance between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday. “We are not forecasting any supply shortfalls at this time, but wanted to prepare consumers in the event that we need to call a Flex Alert,” the agency said, according to Spectrum News 1. A Flex Alert is a voluntary request for customers to cut back on electricity use.
Hot, dry conditions have raised wildfire danger for much of the week, the weather service warned. Near Santa Clarita, the Bouquet Fire grew to about 1,048 acres of the Angeles National Forest after igniting Saturday afternoon. Crews had it 48% contained by Sunday evening, though evacuation orders remained in place for several zones, ABC7 Los Angeles reported.
At the coast, surf of 3 to 6 feet and unusually high morning and evening tides are expected to produce dangerous rip currents. A weather service beach hazards statement takes effect Tuesday afternoon and lasts until Friday evening.
Los Angeles County public health officials have urged residents to stay hydrated, limit time outdoors during the hottest hours and use air-conditioned spaces, and officials warned never to leave children or pets in parked vehicles. County residents can call 211 to find cooling centers, splash pads and public pools; in the city of Los Angeles, residents can call 311 or visit emergency.lacity.gov/heat.
What’s next
Forecasters expect only gradual relief. Coastal areas should cool a little each day, but inland areas may not notice much difference until Thursday or Friday, a forecaster told the Daily News, with more significant cooling expected by the weekend. Moisture from distant Hurricane Rachel could bring a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms late in the week, forecasters said. Still, the Climate Prediction Center’s 6-to-10-day outlook continues to favor above-average warmth across the Southwest, The Weather Channel noted.
