October reality check, record western heat wave
One step outside today and it's clear that the season formerly know as fall has returned.
Our brisk northwest wind has laid down a bit from yesterday's dust blown affair. But the cold air dump brought in by the gales of October is here to stay for now. Temperatures again today feel a good 40 to 50 degrees colder than our glorious record setting summer-like Sunday. Blue blobs are a relatively new phenomenon on the weather maps this week.
Roller coaster temps
The quick way to describe out weather pattern this week is to use the tried and true weather roller coaster analogy. Daily temp changes occur as weather systems push in cool air and pull up warm air as each system passes by.
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Growing season ends Saturday morning
Note the bottom of the coaster Saturday morning. It's looking more likely the growing season will end in the inner metro core Saturday morning as temps bottom out at or below the 32 degree mark. A hard freeze is likely for the metro suburbs with temps in the upper 20s for several hours. Time to bring the hoses in.
Here's a more detailed breakdown of the week's weather. A few spits of rain today, followed by more sun and a nicer Wednesday. Mild temperature spikes Wednesday and Monday. The weekend chill is noticeable.
Western heat wave is hottest in 25 years
These are steamy days in Los Angeles and much of the west. The city hit 100 degrees for the third consecutive day Monday. That's the first time since 1989 that L.A. has recorded three consecutive days at or above 100 degrees.
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA
915 PM PDT SUN OCT 11 2015
...LONGEST STRETCH OF TRIPLE DIGIT HEAT IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES IN MORE THAN 25 YEARS...
THE HIGH TEMPERATURE IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES AT USC FOR EACH OF THE PAST 3 DAYS HAS BEEN 100 DEGREES. THAT IS THE GREATEST NUMBER OF CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES AT OR ABOVE 100 DEGREES SINCE 1989...WHEN IT OCCURRED 4 DAYS IN A ROW FROM APRIL 4TH THROUGH APRIL 7TH.
THE 3 DAY STRETCH OF TRIPLE DIGIT HEAT TIED FOR THE LONGEST SUCH STREAK EVER TO OCCUR IN THE MONTH OF OCTOBER...WHICH BEGAN OCTOBER 15TH 1958 AND CONTINUED THROUGH THE 17TH.
THE LONGEST STRETCH OF DAYS WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES AT OR ABOVE 100 DEGREES IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES WAS 8...EXTENDING FROM AUGUST 31ST THROUGH SEPTEMBER 7TH 1955.
The record warmth is being drawn up ahead of a near hurricane force low in the Gulf of Alaska.
Further south, another seasonal oddity, unusual low pressure spinning off the southern California coast?
The system is spinning come rare October showers into southern California today.
The longer range outlook for the southwest hits at chances for more rainfall.
A symptom of a developing El Nino driven pattern later this fall? Maybe.
Stay tuned.