LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Highs will reach triple-digit territory in two L.A.. County valleys today and several times more this week, but don't call it a heat wave.
Rather, it's a case of this being “late August,'' said National Weather meteorologist Curt Kaplan, adding the weather is “a lot better'' than it was last week, when there was no doubt that the region was in the grip of a heat wave.
A marine layer and low clouds are expected along the coast, but no monsoonal moisture of the type that created muggy weather last week, he said.
Temperatures will be above-average today, but not inordinately so.
Downtown L.A., for example, today will reach 87 degrees, which is only 2 degrees higher than Normal, Kaplan said. A more dramatic deviation from normal will be seen in Burbank, where the mercury will reach 95 -- 7 degrees above normal, he said.
Dense fog is expected in coastal waters today, prompting the weather service to warn sailors to be prepared for abrupt drops in visibility.
“Reduce speeds and be on the lookout for exposed rocks and other vessels, including large ships in the shipping lanes,'' urged an NWS statement. “Use radar or GPS navigation if available, and consider remaining in harbor if such equipment is unavailable.''
Some heat records were set in Orange County Monday. The 72 recorded in Anaheim beat the Aug. 24 record of 69 from 2018; the 71 in Santa Ana also beat 2018's 69; while the 72 in Newport Beach was 2 degrees hotter than the 70 recorded in 1998.
The weather service forecast partly cloudy skies nearer the coast but sunny skies in valley locations, along with highs of 80 degrees at LAX; 86 in Avalon and on Mount Wilson; 87 in Downtown L.A.; 88 in Long Beach; 93 in San Gabriel; 94 in Pasadena; 95 in Burbank; 96 in Saugus; and 101 in Woodland Hills, Palmdale and Lancaster.
Woodland Hills is forecast to remain in the low to mid 100s through Saturday and decline to 99 on Sunday. An almost identical trajectory is expected in the Antelope Valley.
Sunny skies are expected today in Orange County, along with highs of 81 in Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and San Clemente; 83 on Santiago Peak; 88 on Ortega Highway at 2,600 feet; 89 at Fremont Canyon; 92 in Yorba Linda, Fullerton, Irvine and Mission Viejo; and 93 at Trabuco Canyon and Anaheim. Temperatures will mostly slip into the 80s starting Sunday.
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