Southland temperatures pushed into the upper 80s and 90s Tuesday on what is expected to be the last day of the region’s 12-day heat wave, which will be followed by precipitation and cooler temperatures.
Strong Santa Ana winds continue to buffet the region, with National Weather Service forecasters calling for gusts of 30 to 40 mph in the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties and between 25 and 35 mph along the coast and in the valleys.
By early Tuesday afternoon, a series of temperature records had already been set across the Southland, with Long Beach hitting 86 degrees, Los Angeles International Airport reaching 85 and UCLA recording 88 degrees. Around midday Tuesday, downtown Los Angeles tied the record for this day of 88 degrees, set in 1977.
But forecasters said we’re in for a change with showers and rain possible Wednesday and Thursday. Sunny weather is expected to return on Friday, and a warming trend will begin Saturday, with temperature highs reverting to the 80s in some communities on Sunday. The normal high this time of the year is 68.
The impending precipitation will result from a storm expected to strike mostly north of the Southland, said NWS meteorologist Kathy Hoxsie. Nonetheless, it may produce between a quarter-inch and a half-inch of rain in Southern California through Thursday, she said.
—City News Service