Southland temperatures spring to record heights

A potent combination of Santa Ana winds and a defiant ridge of high pressure produced several springtime heat records across the Southland on Sunday, particularly in areas near the coast.

Temperatures climbed to 95 degrees in Long Beach, besting the old mark of 90 for April 13th set in 1960, according to the National Weather Service. Camarillo, too, reached 95 degrees, well above the record 86 for the date that was registered in 1956.

The phrase “I’m melting” also may have resonated in parts of Orange County. Anaheim was tied for the hottest spot in the contiguous U.S. at 102 degrees, breaking its record of 96 from 1984. Fullerton’s 99 degrees topped its mark of 94 from 1959, and Yorba Linda’s 97 erased the 1959 record of 94.

Coastal locales in Los Angeles County also had to take their medicine, so to speak. Most prominent was the 96 degrees recorded at Los Angeles International Airport, walloping the old record of 90 set in 1947. Santa Monica Pier recorded a high of 86, besting the previous high of 78 in 1993. And 95 degrees at UCLA on Sunday eliminated the old record of 85 degrees in 1985.

The record temperatures will likely take a breather, at least for the time being. National Weather Service forecasts call for winds to die down and cooler temperatures across the region in the coming week, with highs in the 80s on Monday and descending to the 60s and 70s for the rest of the week.

“The ridge will be breaking down and we’ll be turning back to an onshore flow,” said Bonnie Bartling, a weather specialist with the National Weather Service office in Oxnard.

Santa Ana winds, Bartling said, often lead to higher temperatures along the coast.

The hottest place in Los Angeles County on Sunday was Hawthorne, where temperatures reached 100. It is unknown if that is a record for the date because of insufficient data.

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steve.hymon@latimes.com