California and several other Western states endured the hottest summer on record, according to federal data released Thursday, underscoring the ways rapid climate change is unleashing unprecedented wildfires, deadly heat waves and drought conditions. In addition to California, officials said Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Utah also set all-time heat records for the meteorological summer, spanning June through August.
A late-winter storm doused the San Diego area with rain and mountain snow for second day Thursday, but a dry spell lies ahead.
Though the showers generated by the unsettled atmospheric system out of the Gulf of Alaska were more scattered and short-lived than Wednesday’s storms, they added to some significant moisture amounts across the county, according to the National Weather Service.
A cold, late-winter Pacific storm brought rain and snow to California on Tuesday. Winter storm warnings were posted or scheduled to take effect during the day in mountains from the Oregon border south to the U.S-Mexico border. Mountain travel was discouraged due to the potential for major delays, chain controls and near-whiteout conditions, the National Weather Service said. The San Francisco Bay Area weather office warned of possible hail, thunderstorms and downpours that could make driving risky.
It’s possible that San Diego County won’t receive significant rainfall during December, which would significantly elevate the wildfire danger throughout the region, according to the National Weather Service.
“The storms that have been forming off the Pacific Northwest are not dropping into Southern California,” said Dan Gregorio, a weather service forecaster.
Santa Ana winds will return amid dry conditions this week, significantly raising the risk of wildfires in the San Diego County mountains and western valleys, according to the National Weather Service.
Moderate strength winds were expected Tuesday in the mountains, forecasters said. Winds out of the east were expected to be around 15 mph, with gusts potentially reaching 30 mph Tuesday afternoon.
Towering high tides hitting the Southern California coast were met with record-high temperatures Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
The astronomical tides, known as king tides, occur when the moon is closest to Earth and are often the highest tides of the year, said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. Combined with high surf, king tides can bring tidal overflows, minor beach erosion and an increased risk of drowning.
Climate forecasters said Thursday that the world had entered La Niña, the opposite phase of the climate pattern that also brings El Niño and affects weather across the globe. Among other impacts, La Niña has the potential this winter to worsen what are already severe drought conditions in the American Southwest.
Temperatures will near triple digits Wednesday in the San Diego County mountains and foothills, as a heat wave that will last through the weekend begins to grip the region.
A ridge of high pressure will continue building over the southwestern United States through Monday, ushering in the scorching heat, according to the National Weather Service.
Strong Santa Ana winds — weather that rarely occurs in June — sent temperatures soaring more than 20 degrees above normal Tuesday across San Diego County, smashing or tying records from the coast to the foothills.
“The numbers were amazing,” said Mark Moede, a forecaster at the National Weather Service.
San Diego International Airport hit 93 degrees, which is 24 degrees above normal. Chula Vista reached 92 and Encinitas hit 90.
The mercury could soar to 112 again Thursday in the San Diego County deserts, but cooler weather will arrive on Friday, according to the National Weather Service. The high pressure that has caused sweltering conditions since Tuesday will be replaced by a low-pressure system, which will also bring a slight chance of rain Friday night through Saturday morning everywhere except the deserts, forecasters said.
