Spring Arrives, and So Does Summer

Saturday was a classic Southern California beach day as the temperature climbed to 89 degrees at the Civic Center, tying a record set in 1960.

And the timing couldn’t have been better because spring officially began at 1:39 a.m. today. Saturday’s high was 20 degrees above normal, according to WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times.

“It got warmer than what we were expecting,” said meteorologist Janice Roth. “There were no clouds and the air was dry. So it heated up a little faster.”

The hot weather caused about a dozen marchers in the second annual Tri-City Spring Parade to grow faint, according to Bell Police Lt. Steve Webber. The marchers were helped to a shady area and given water, he said. All were hospitalized briefly for observation.

The warm weather was generated by a high-pressure system over the southwestern portion of the country, which featured light surface winds, Roth said.

Although the humidity was low Saturday--20% to 23%--there was no immediate fire danger in brush areas because westerly winds were relatively light at 10 m.p.h. to 16 m.p.h. “They were like a sea breeze,” Roth said.

Today’s outlook is for a repeat of Saturday--another warm day, following a Saturday night low in the mid-50s.

Temperatures today are expected to be in the 80s across the Los Angeles Basin and in the 90s in the southern deserts, Roth said. Tonight’s minimum temperature will be in the low 50s. The Monday outlook is for slightly cooler temperatures with highs in the mid-70s.