Rare February heat could break several Southern California records

A sweltering Friday — rare for February — will lead Southern California into a hot weekend, with potential for several record-breaking temperatures before a gradual cool down.

Temperatures will be significantly higher than the seasonal average, said Sam Zuber, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. They could reach as high the mid-90s in some valley and inland areas.

“It’s unusual to have 90s anywhere from December through February, at least, Robbie Munroe, an NWS forecaster, said. “In fact, we’re in record-breaking territory today.”

Across Southern California, temperatures are expected to peak on Friday and Saturday.

Weekend temperatures will hover in the 80s and 90s before cooling down into the 70s and 80s by the time Monday rolls around. Sunny skies are expected, with some potential for wind gusts across mountain passes and foothill areas.

Here’s how meteorologists say the weekend will shape up:

Riverside County should see a high in the low to mid-90s on Friday. On Saturday, temperatures will be in the high 80s, hitting close to 90 degrees on Saturday, before falling to the mid-80s and further down across the rest of the week, Zuber said.

On Friday, San Bernardino will see temperatures start in the mid 80s, with a high around 91 or 92 degrees, and a high around 90 on Saturday.

Orange County can expect temperatures in the low to mid 90s Friday and temperatures in the upper 80s in inland cities over the weekend.

Across Los Angeles County, temperatures will surge on Friday, hitting the mid 80s and low 90s, Munroe said.

“Today is actually the peak of the heat, and if you live near the coast, it might be the hottest you see already,” he said.

Saturday will continue to be warm, but at least a few degrees cooler than Friday in most areas, he said, particularly on the coast. By Monday, temperatures will mostly return to normal for this time of year, with most Los Angeles areas heading back down to the 70s.

High pressure above Southern California is the force responsible for the unseasonably warm weather.

“We have some really intense high pressure over the whole region,” Zuber said.

It will continue to linger over the region on Saturday before pushing slightly east on Sunday.

“Because we’re having offshore winds, you have already somewhat warm conditions heat further as air sinks off the mountains, compresses and that compression actually heats up the air even more. And so that’s why we’re seeing the hottest temperatures into the coastal valleys and even some interior coastal areas just away from the beaches,” Munroe said.

A weak offshore flow in Southern California stopped a marine layer from forming, which also makes for hotter temperatures, especially in the region’s coasts and inland valleys, Zuber said.

“While not impossible, such high temperatures west of the deserts are uncommon for February,” Zuber said. “Many spots are 15-25 degrees above normal today through Sunday.”

Temperature records may be broken in Big Bear Lake, Idyllwild, Anaheim and Riverside, Zuber said. Records in Los Angeles County may be broken in Burbank, Woodland Hills, Pasadena and San Gabriel, according to the NWS.

“We’ll be monitoring the records, especially as we get into the afternoon, but there is a potential we’ll reach at least daily records for today, so it’s pretty rare,” Munroe said.

While Southern Californians will likely break a sweat this weekend, this is a brief heat wave, which Munroe says limits the anticipated impacts. It will also cool off in the evenings, providing some relief.

“It should cool off pretty quickly for most areas (Friday) evening,” he said. “So for those who might not have air conditioning, it gives (them) the opportunity to open the windows to try to cool down the house more easily.”.