Southern California’s heat wave hasn’t even peaked yet and it’s already breaking records
Southern California is entering its second hottest March heat wave ever, and heat records have already begun to fall.
At Hollywood Burbank Airport on Monday, the mercury reached 92 degrees, breaking the previous daily record of 91 degrees set in 2004. At Pierce College in Woodland Hills, the daily record of 94 degrees set in 2007 was shattered on Monday when it reached 97 degrees.
And it’s just the beginning. During the heat wave, daily heat records are likely to be broken and high temperature records for any day for the entire month of March may also fall, said Robbie Monroe, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
Although temperatures started to rise earlier in the week, Tuesday will be much warmer “especially near the coast due to coastal patterns.”
“We’re probably going to add another five to seven degrees of warming today,” Monroe said Tuesday. “But some of the coastal areas will see 10 to 20, maybe even 25 degrees warmer, compared to yesterday.”
The unusually early heat wave raises concerns about public safety and marks a test of federal efforts to combat heat-related deaths in a time of rising temperatures.
Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related death in the United States, resulting in hundreds of deaths each year. A Times analysis in 2024 showed that heat has caused or contributed to more than 21,500 American deaths since 1999.
Hotter temperatures are coming months earlier than usual and communities haven’t had time to adjust, making early season heat more dangerous, experts say. Climate scientist Daniel Swain described it as “a full-blown summer heat wave in March” in a post on X.
Pressure began to build in the region on Monday, prompting a flurry of warnings from the National Weather Service. Temperatures are expected to rise Tuesday through Friday, with the mercury rising into the 80s and 90s along the coast and into the 90s and past the 100-degree mark inland, possibly breaking records.
An extreme heat warning is expected to be in effect from Tuesday morning until 8pm Friday for the greater Los Angeles area. The weather service warns of “a high risk of severe heat illness for anyone, especially the very young, the very old, those without air conditioning, and those who are active outdoors.”
The nighttime hours are not expected to provide much cooling, which will impact the risk of heat, especially in mountain and lowland communities, according to the weather service.
Temperatures on Friday are expected to reach 91 degrees in Santa Barbara, 98 in downtown Los Angeles, 97 in Long Beach, 100 in Canoga Park and Santa Clarita and 103 in Covina.
In Orange County and the Inland Empire, temperatures will reach 99 degrees in Anaheim, 82 in San Clemente, 105 in San Bernardino, 102 in Riverside and 103 in Hemet on Friday. Typically, temperatures across Southern California are in the high 60s or 70s in March, according to the weather service.
“It looks like it’s going to be an epic heat,” Monroe said. “This could be the hottest March heat wave we’ve ever had, depending on how it plays out.”
People who want to beat the heat can use the cooling centers at public libraries and community centers. The weather service is also urging people to stock up on water and other liquids throughout the week, avoid going outside or working outside between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., and check on neighbors and loved ones who may be at risk of heat-related illness.
