As a weekend of intense Santa Ana winds wound down, temperatures neared — or exceeded — all-time highs in Southern California on Sunday. But a brief cooldown is on the way.
Highs touched the mid- to high 80s across L.A. County, with downtown L.A. reaching a scorching 87 degrees, nearing the all-time high for March 8 — set in 2004 at 93 degrees. The average high for this date was just 69 degrees. In many cities within L.A. County, high temperatures came close to historical highs, though no records were broken.
Cooler conditions are likely to settle in early this week, with another warm and dry spell expected Wednesday.
Temperatures across L.A. County were expected to drop about 15 degrees Monday. In downtown L.A., the projected high temperature for Monday was 71 degrees, with even more intense heat — 90 degrees — forecast for Thursday. Santa Ana and Pasadena were both also expected to cool off Monday and Tuesday before the heat wave later in the week.
San Diego’s high on Sunday — 89 degrees — set a record. It was the highest since temperature records started being recorded in 1875. Oceanside and Chula Vista both hit relative highs, though they fell short of their all-time records.
San Diego County highs were expected to fall into the mid-60s early in the week before heating up with the rest of the region Thursday, with a high of 76 projected
Although Sunday’s Santa Ana winds weren’t expected to be as strong as those that pummeled the Southland on Saturday, parts of L.A. County reached both wind- and heat-advisory levels with 35- to 40-mph gusts and high temperatures up to 90 degrees on Sunday. In mountainous areas, gusts reportedly topped 60 miles per hour.
Amid the heat, L.A. Marathon organizers implemented a new safety option for runners to finish at the 18-mile mark and still receive a finisher’s medal if temperatures got too hot.
The moderate Santa Ana wind event began to pick up on Friday, creating concerns in the mountains and canyon passes. Officials warned everyone to stay alert for downed trees and power lines, avoid windows during windstorms and exercise caution while traveling. On Saturday, many L.A. roads were marked by plant debris.
Several small fires broke out across the area Saturday but were knocked down within hours by responding firefighters. One of the blazes was at a three-story home in the 8500 block of West Oak Court in the Hollywood Hills. The Los Angeles Fire Department said more than 100 firefighters extinguished the blaze in less than two hours and reported no injuries.
Times staff writers Grace Toohey and Alexandra Del Rosario contributed to this report.