Summerlike heat grips L.A., San Diego: When will it end?
Mother Nature remains stuck in summer mode across the much of the West, where temperatures in the 90s and 100s will topple record highs into this week.
Summer weather has returned with a vengeance across the West, with parts of California bearing the brunt of the latest heat wave. Record-challenging temperatures in the 90s and triple digits are expected to persist through much of this week.
Over 35 million are under either an extreme heat warning or a heat advisory, as of Monday.
"The City of Angels has a chance to tie or break daily records through early this week as temperatures remain 15-25 degrees above the historical average," AccuWeather Meteorologist Lauren Bader said.
An extreme heat wave in Los Angeles spanning from through Oct. 9 is predicted to be "extreme" on the exclusive AccuWeather HeatWave Counter and Severity Index™, which measures heat waves by duration and intensity.
The ongoing heat wave in Los Angeles has the potential to rank among the top 10 most intense heat waves in Los Angeles history, based on the exclusive AccuWeather HeatWave Counter and Severity Index™. The most intense was Aug. 31–Sept. 8, 1955, with an index value of 49.
This current heat wave is forecast to have a final value of 32, which would make it the 11th most intense in history. Regardless of the final index value, this heat wave, along with the previous six this year in Los Angeles, will lead to the worst “heat wave year” on record in Los Angeles, according to the AccuWeather HeatWave Counter and Severity Index™.
In San Diego, the temperature reached 105 degrees on Saturday, the first time the city reached the 100-degree mark in October since 1987.
By the time the San Diego Padres return to Petco Park Tuesday evening for game 3 of the NLDS against the Milwaukee Brewers, the heat is expected to be less intense, but it will still be warmer than the historical average.
"The heat will not remain confined to Southern California as high temperatures in places such as Fresno and the San Francisco Bay Area will be 10-15 degrees above the historical average through much of this week as well," Bader said. "Even coastal areas will experience unusual warmth with increased offshore winds and a limited marine layer."
Those heading to the beach to try to cool off should use extreme caution as larger swells are likely to arrive later this week from Hurricane Rachel well offshore.
Overnight lows will be closer to what the high temperature should typically be in early October. With little relief at night, prolonged heat could have compounding effects, especially for people who work outside or lack adequate cooling.
The hot, dry weather, paired with locally gusty winds, could elevate the risk of wildfire ignition and spread across Southern California. The risk is likely to remain higher than normal through much of this week with no rain or heat relief expected.
Is there any heat relief in sight?
AccuWeather's team of long-range meteorologists expect temperatures to be several degrees higher than historical averages for October across much of the West despite signs of a slight cooldown by this weekend. There is a chance that tropical moisture associated with Hurricane Rachel could get drawn north and east into the West this weekend, which could offer further cooling.
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