Associated Press January 3, 2012 05:51 PM Copyright Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
From the San Francisco Chronicle
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
(01-03) 17:51 PST Los Angeles, CA (AP) --
The skates were still out in downtown's Pershing Square on Tuesday but the only ice was manmade, as Southern California sweltered through another day of sunny, toasty weather that has set daily temperature records.
The mercury hit 85 degrees in Woodland Hills, breaking a record of 84 set in 1994. Burbank topped out at 80 degrees and Saugus in northern Los Angeles County had a high of 83 degrees.
"It's been nice and toasty for the holiday season," said National Weather Service meteorologist David Sweet.
A high-pressure ridge of air over the region will keep daily highs in the 80s for many areas through Wednesday, he said. Cooler air may move in from the east on Thursday, dropping the temperature 5 degrees to 10 degrees, Sweet said.
Sunny weather isn't unusual for the season, but it's been slightly drier and hotter than usual because the region hasn't benefited from cooler air that flows in from the Nevada desert. "With a light offshore flow, that cold air is not getting in. It's just a very light push of air," Sweet said.
In Los Angeles, sunshine or clouds made no difference to skaters whizzing around an outdoor rink in the shadow of downtown skyscrapers. The rink has been drawing a couple thousand people a day since it opened in November, park program coordinator Gus Sedano said.
"I just hope the weather continues," he said.
A combination of the warmer weather and holiday vacation pumped up the number of beachgoers by about 20 percent, Los Angeles County lifeguard Jay Hopkins said in Santa Monica. "The wintertime is usually pretty slow," he said. "It just kind of goes with the weather."
A dip in the 57-degree water would cool things down but beachgoers might want to think twice about trying it this week. Central and Southern California coasts were warned to expect high surf, with swells of 10 feet to 16 feet in some areas.
The surf will subside Wednesday but return through the rest of the week, with possible 20-foot swells on the Central Coast.
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