Civic Center High of 99 Tops ’83 Record; More Heat on Way

Temperatures soared to a record-breaking 99 degrees at the Los Angeles Civic Center on Monday, and forecasters said it probably will remain hotter than normal for the next couple of days.

Curtis Brack, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., said a low-pressure trough in the Pacific Northwest has been blocking the usual afternoon onshore flow of cool, moist air from the Pacific, and that has meant high temperatures and low humidity throughout most of the Los Angeles Basin.

Monday’s 99-degree reading shortly after 1 p.m. at the Civic Center was two degrees higher than the old record for the date--97, set in 1983. Brack said the Downtown high today should be about 96, roughly 12 degrees above the normal top reading for the date.

Today’s top marks along the coast should range from the mid-70s to the low 80s, with high readings near 102 at the warmest spots in the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys.

The weather should be much the same on Wednesday, but the onshore flow is expected to return by that afternoon, with a gradual cooling trend extending through what promises to be a pleasant Labor Day weekend.

Highs from Thursday through Monday should be between the mid-60s and 70s along the coast and between 80 and 95 in the valleys, the National Weather Service said.