Temperatures reached into the 90s and low 100s throughout Southern California’s inland areas on Labor Day, but no heat records tumbled for the holiday this year.
Last year’s Labor Day high temperatures soared to well over 100 in several areas, including 120 degrees in Woodland Hills.
Still, it was plenty warm and temperatures were higher than normal. The hot and dry conditions felt Monday, Sept. 6, were part of a regionwide heat wave that has prompted heat advisories and warnings.
“We’re dealing with hotter than normal temperatures,” said Joe Curtis, a meteorologist with Accuweather, Monday morning. “We’re not really expecting to break any records today, but we’re 10 to 15 degrees above normal when you get into the Inland Empire.”
Preliminary highs reported by the National Weather Service in the late afternoon included 86 degrees in downtown Los Angeles, 80 degrees at LAX, 78 in Long Beach, 97 in Riverside, 91 degrees in Burbank, 95 degrees in Pasadena and 100 in Woodland Hills.
Other preliminary high temperatures were 86 degrees at Fullerton Airport, 89 degrees in Yorba Linda and 88 degrees in Lake Forest.
Along the coast, high surf and dangerous rip currents were in effect, along with milder temperatures in the mid- to high-70s.
“Areas along the coast are going to be pretty mild and sunny today,” Curtis said as the holiday kicked off. “It’s a couple degrees above normal temperatures but it should be a pretty nice day for the unofficial end of summer.”
Thanks to the marine layer, nights also are staying cool, in the 60s, despite the higher afternoon temperatures.
Surf up to 3 feet was reported along south-facing beaches, according to the National Weather Service. Swimmers were warned to stay out of the water or to only swim near a lifeguard.
The Los Angeles County health officer issued a heat alert for the west San Fernando Valley and a heat advisory for the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys.
“High temperatures are not just an inconvenience, they can be dangerous and even deadly,” said Dr. Muntu Davis, who reminded residents to stay hydrated and never leave children, elderly people or pets unattended in homes without air-conditioning or in cars.
Meteorologists said a ridge of high pressure building over Central California will dominate the region, bringing excessively dry conditions and a higher fire risk.
The hot, dry weather, Curtis said, has led to increasing wildfires.
For Tuesday, Curtis said, “It does look like temperatures are going to be a couple degrees lower than the past couple days. But then again by Wednesday and Thursday, temperatures are going to start going up again.”
Looking ahead to fall and the end of the year, Carl Erickson, a meteorologist with Accuweather, said the outlook will be “well below” normal rainfall.
“We’re looking at a La Nina phase and, unfortunately, that does favor a drier pattern through September, October and November, with little to no precipitation,” Erickson said. The dry conditions will extend throughout the West, he said, including Arizona, Oregon and Idaho.
The Gulf region and eastern part of the U.S., meanwhile, will receive above-average moisture, Erickson said.
There are no official forecasts yet going into early 2022, he added.
City News Service contributed to this article