LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A ridge of high pressure aloft combined with Santa Ana winds resulted in two temperature records being set in Los Angeles County today and two others tied.
The 86-degree high at Los Angeles International Airport erased the previous record for Feb. 27 of 83 set in 1992. The 84-degree degree high at Long Beach Airport was one degree higher than the previous record, also set in 1992.
Records set in 1992 were tied at downtown Los Angeles, where the high was 86, and UCLA, where the high was 83.
Other highs in Los Angeles County included 86 in Hawthorne, 85 in Pomona and Redondo Beach, 83 in Pasadena, 82 in Burbank and Woodland Hills, Chatsworth and Van Nuys, 81 in Chatsworth and at Santa Monica Airport.
Orange County highs included 88 at Fullerton Airport, 86 in Santa Ana and Yorba Linda, 85 in Anaheim and at John Wayne Airport, 84 in Lake Forest and 80 in Huntington Beach and Laguna Beach.
``High pressure and offshore flow will bring dry weather with well above-normal temperatures to southwestern California through Friday,'' according to a National Weather Service statement.
``It will be much cooler Saturday as onshore flow returns,'' replacing the strong offshore winds the region has been experiencing. ``There will be further cooling with a chance of showers Sunday into Monday as low pressure moves into the area. Dry and slightly warmer weather is expected for Tuesday.''
Warm temperatures during Southland winters are not unheard of, said weather service meteorologist Dave Bruno. But he said how quickly the weather will turn is a little unusual, noting that Sunday's highs, amid rain, will be up to 24 degrees lower. At the same time, the snow level could drop to around 3,000 feet Sunday, he said.
The impending storm will make its way to southwestern Canada Friday night, then drop down the coast, striking the Southland Sunday.