A cool down is forecast for Southern California on Monday after a heat wave brought record-high temperatures to parts of the region the day before.
“People in many areas — at least the coast areas and the valley areas — will see maybe five to 10 degrees of cooling,” said David Sweet, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “So relief is on the way.”
Palm Springs and Borrego Springs reached 121 degrees Sunday, surpassing the records of 120 and 116 degrees set for that date in 1985 and 1976, respectively, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures hit 100 degrees in Ramona and 107 in Campo, topping July 12 records set in 1999 and 1983.
In Los Angeles County, weather service monitoring stations recorded a high of 108 degrees at Fox Field in Lancaster on Sunday, surpassing the previous July 12 record of 107 set in 2002. Sandberg, a ghost town in the Sierra Pelona Mountains, saw a high of 98, breaking the record of 96 set in 1994, according to the weather service.
A high-pressure system centered over New Mexico has been bringing very warm temperatures to the area, but it’s now shifting to the south and east thanks to a weak low-pressure system pushing down from the Northwest, Sweet said. That’s leading to a stronger sea breeze, bringing a gradual cooling trend that’s expected to last through Wednesday, he said.
Temperatures Monday are expected to reach the lower to mid-80s in downtown L.A., the mid-70s at the beaches and the mid-80s to lower 90s in the valleys, Sweet said.
With the cooling trend, some areas are expected to see gusty winds in the afternoon, which could combine with low humidities and residual heat to create conditions that could lead to the rapid spread of fire.
“The fire weather risk remains elevated, especially today and maybe tomorrow, because we still have some lingering heat over the Antelope Valley, and the increase in the sea breeze will give you a combination of gusty winds and lingering heat and low humidities,” Sweet said. “So today and tomorrow will still be a little bit tricky for the Santa Clarita Valley to the Antelope Valley, that area.”
Things are forecast to cool off further by Wednesday, with highs reaching the lower to mid-70s at the beaches, lower to mid-80s in the valleys and about 80 degrees downtown, forecasters said.
