Record heat returns to Southern California after fall-like conditions
The heat returned to the Central Coast Friday as the Santa Ana winds blew across the region, helping to drop temperatures for the fifth day in a row.
The high pressure system moving over the region on Friday helped bring warmer-than-average conditions to the region. The afternoon temperatures were well above normal with the mercury hitting 113 degrees in the mountains north of Los Angeles.
While Friday’s high was well above average, the statewide high was below normal and Friday’s high temperature did match the statewide high temperature of 113 degrees at 7 a.m.
The warmup came at a time when the weather in Southern California is forecast to remain in the upper 90s throughout the weekend, with a high of 86 degrees forecast for Saturday and close to 100 degrees set.
Santa Ana winds also helped keep the region at a balmy 70 degrees on Friday, even though it was a bit cloudy, dropping the temperature to 70 with a low of 60 set across the area.
The winds pushed into the region late in the afternoon. Over the past few days, the highs have ranged between the upper 90s and the low-80s with the temperature in Los Angeles dropping to 88 degrees Friday afternoon at 4:15 p.m.
While it was clear Friday in the Southland, it was cloudy in San Diego with only a small patch of rain in the downtown area.
The high pressure over the region pushed the high on Friday down to the Lower 90s.
The area is forecast to see a warmup over the coming days.
On Saturday, the mercury is forecast to be between the mid-to-upper nineties as a high pressure system moves into the region. Meteorologists predict highs of 91 degrees and close to 100 degrees for the area on Saturday morning, while the low will be in the low 90s, with lows in the mid-to-upper 80s.
In the afternoon, temperatures in the mountains between Los Angeles and San Bernadino will be in the 60s to low 70s.
Forecasters note that the weather in Southern California will remain at an “