Why It’s So Hot and Smoggy
Life in the Southland this week has been like being trapped inside a barbeque with the hood closed tight. Thanks to an unusually strong high-pressure system, temperatures have soared to record highs while smog alerts have been issued throughout the region. The villan? A 2,000- foot inversion layer that has trapped auto and industrial fumes against the mountains in the broiling inland areas.
And we are not alone. The hot weather stretches from the Pacific to the Mississippi, where records are melting like ice cream. In Phoenix, the mercury hit 118 degrees, a new high for the date. In Los Angeles Friday, the Civic Center high of 101 was the hottest day ever recorded.
Triple-digit temperatures are expected to remain in the inland areas of Southern California through the weekend. But meterologists expect things to start easing off on Monday.
Selected Temperatures For Friday Long Beach:..87 Civic Center:.101 Burbank: .107 Riverside: 107 Van Nuys: .111 Woodland Hills: 110 Anaheim: .92 Palm Springs:.123
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