L.A. Hits 90 Again for a Record but Cooling Due

Southern California’s midwinter hot spell racked up another record-breaking afternoon temperature Thursday, but the National Weather Service said the weekend should be a few degrees cooler.

Los Angeles, San Gabriel and Santa Ana shared honors as the hottest spots in the nation Thursday, with 90 degrees recorded in all three.

The peak reading at Los Angeles Civic Center also set a record for the day, topping the old Valentine’s Day mark of 89 degrees set in 1943 (as Wednesday’s 90 had broken an 89-degree record set in 1924).

But meteorologists said things might change a bit in the next few days. Relative humidity in Los Angeles ranged from an overnight high of only 31% all the way down to 10% at 3 p.m. due to what weather service specialist Stan Massey said was a “mild Santa Ana” condition.

Air From the Deserts

That, he explained, was because air moving out of a high-pressure area over Idaho and northern Utah has been pushing dry, hot air from the deserts westward into Southern California.

The high-pressure area is expected to weaken gradually today and Saturday, however, which should allow a breeze from the sea to cool the coastal areas.

The forecast called for a high of 86 degrees in Los Angeles today, dropping to the lower 80s by Saturday.

Beach weather was expected to remain near perfect.

About 350,000 swimmers and sunbathers visited beaches from Zuma to San Diego on Thursday, and at least that many were expected to greet the breakers again today.

The weather service said they should find surf moderate at 2 to 3 feet, with air temperatures reaching the high 60s and water temperature three to four degrees cooler.

Weekend yachtsmen should find northeast winds moderating. Twenty-knot afternoon breezes have been common for a day or two, but forecasters said they should drop to 10 or 15 knots in outer and inner waters from Point Conception to the Mexican border, with the usual light and variable airs in the mornings.

Mountain resorts were expecting crowds.

In addition to the skiers booked into accommodations in the Sierra and the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains, the sudden thaw has brought out the hikers.

U.S. Forest Service spokesman Bob Swinford said the weather in Angeles National Forest was “beautiful” Thursday and predicted a “tremendous crowd” if it stays that way through the weekend.

Clear Skies Expected

Forecasters said it should do that: Mountain skies are expected to remain clear through the weekend, though east to northeast winds gusting to 30 m.p.h. were predicted for today, shifting northwesterly by Saturday and northerly by Sunday, with the cooling trend depressing resort-altitude afternoon temperatures to the upper 50s Saturday and to the mid-40s by Sunday. Overnight dips below the freezing level were forecast for the entire period.

The weather service said fair skies should remain over the deserts until Sunday, when variable high clouds may appear in the north. High desert temperatures were expected to hit the mid-60s to mid-70s.