Things Are Expected to Heat Up Across County

Grab the sunscreen and the surfboard wax. Dust off your best excuses. Temperatures are heading up.

Blame, or thank, a “fairly strong ridge of high pressure” now parked over California that will remain there for several days, said meteorologist Curtis Brack of WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times.

On Wednesday, temperatures hit 84 in Santa Ana, way above the normal 73, Brack said.

And today, it might hit the record of 91 established in 1992, he said. “I think they have a fairly good chance to break it.”

It will be in the 70s near the beaches, he said.

The reason it’s hotter is fairly simple, said Michael Most, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

“Whenever you get high pressure in the middle and lower atmosphere, that creates a sinking motion. And when air sinks, it warms by compression.

“It’s just like when you blow up a tire, the pump will become hot and it’s because of the compressing of air,” Most said.

“Sinking air gets compressed because of the field of gravity; it literally squeezes.”

That squeezing may last for the next five to 10 days, Most said, adding “it’s not too unusual for late April or early May.”

Winds blowing down from the mountains, across the warm, dry desert, will continue to keep the county “unseasonably” warm, Brack said.

“Basically, they are Santa Anas,” said Brack, which will gust from the north to northeast up to 20 mph.