Monday’s above-average warmth gave us a late taste of summer, but forecasters say a dramatic change is in store over the next few days, with the first rain of the season expected to douse the area as temperatures drop by as much as 25 degrees.
Heat records were set across Southern California thanks to a high-pressure system that drove up temperatures. Anaheim reached 96 degrees and Santa Ana reached 94, both breaking records of 92 degrees set in 2008.
The temperature reached 93 degrees at Los Angeles International Airport, breaking the 1989 record for the date of 88 degrees. Long Beach and UCLA both reached a record 92 degrees, while Burbank reached a record 89 degrees.
But the high-pressure system will give way to a low-pressure system moving in from the north starting Tuesday.
Forecasters said the region will see a roughly 25-degree drop in temperature by Wednesday. According to the National Weather Service, rain could start falling Tuesday night, with wet conditions continuing into Thursday. The area is expected to get between a quarter-inch and three-quarters of an inch of rain, according to the NWS.
Forecasters said the chance of showers will “develop after midnight Tuesday with the best chance occurring over L.A. County.”
“The best chances of rain will be Wednesday morning and afternoon with rain tapering off overnight Wednesday and pretty (much) ending by early Thursday afternoon,” according to the NWS.
Forecasters noted that Orange and San Diego counties are likely to receive most of the rain from the system.
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