Southland heat makes history
Much of Southern California had an early spring bake-off Saturday as temperatures soared into the 90s and toppled decades-old weather records.
A record high of 91 was recorded at Los Angeles International Airport, breaking the 90 degree record set in 1947.
UCLA registered 92 degrees -- breaking a record of 84 degrees set in 1944.
According to National Weather Service data, about a dozen records were broken from Santa Barbara, where it hit 89 degrees (breaking the 1947 record by one degree), to San Diego County, where the city of El Cajon reached 96 degrees, breaking its 2000 record of 89.
In between, Long Beach hit a high of 95 degrees -- besting a record 91 set in 1944 -- and Newport Beach reached a record 81, beating the 1957 record of 80. Anaheim soared to a high of 96, topping its 1994 record of 89.
In general, the San Fernando Valley was not much hotter than the L.A. Basin: Van Nuys registered a high of 93 and Pasadena reached 91.
No, it’s not global warming. “This is just regular old weather,” said Bonnie Bartling, a weather specialist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
More precisely, according to Bartling, a high pressure system and a moderate offshore wind -- moving air from inland to the ocean -- are warming up areas all the way to the beaches. (Malibu reached a high of 80.)
More of the same is expected today.
“Could be a degree or two hotter,” Bartling said. A significant cooling could arrive by Tuesday.
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