Advertisement

Triple-digit heat scorches Southern California; warm weather to continue

Share

Triple-digit heat scorched parts of Southern California for the second day in a row on Thursday as a warm air mass remained locked over the region and was expected to result in warm weather into the middle of next week.

The National Weather Service said that temperatures Friday would still be above normal as high pressure over the desert would continue to create significant warming and heighten the risk of wildfires.

In Los Angeles County on Thursday, Acton was 108 degrees, Woodland Hills was 105 and Pomona was 103, the weather service said.

Advertisement

In the Inland Empire, Riverside and Hemet hit 108 degrees. A record high for the day was set in Lake Elsinore, which reached 112 degrees. That broke a record of 109 set in 1943, according to the weather service.

Campo in San Diego County also set a daily record, topping out at 107 degrees. That broke a record of 102 degrees set in 1959.

The weather service said that high temperatures would last through the middle of next week. Highs were expected to be between 90 and 103 degrees in valley areas and up to 105 degrees in the Antelope Valley.

“In addition, the combination of gusty onshore winds, very warm temperatures and low humidities will bring elevated fire danger,” the agency said in a statement.

The weather service recently reported that the last two years were the driest in downtown Los Angeles since record-keeping began in 1877.

The agency said that the 2012-14 rainy seasons -- which are measured every July 1 to June 30 -- only brought 11.93 inches of rainfall. That was 17.93 inches below normal.

Advertisement

By comparison, the 1897-99 seasons saw 12.65 inches of rain, or about 17.21 inches below normal for the period, according to the weather service.

“It’s the worst drought we probably have seen in our lifetime,” said Eric Boldt, warning coordination meteorologist at the weather service’s office in Oxnard.

Follow @LAJourno for breaking news

Advertisement