Southern California braces for another September heat wave
Southern California is bracing for the second of three consecutive above average scorchers
The National Weather Service issued a heat alert for the coastal region and greater Los Angeles area on Monday night, saying it was likely to be “one of the most dangerous heat events of the season”.
The heat event will be preceded by the hottest day on record for Santa Monica in 2016 on Thursday 1 September, according to the weather service.
The forecast for Los Angeles County is for temperatures to peak around 98 to 104F (36 to 43C) with a high of around 108F (41C).
The forecast for Santa Monica, Ventura and Los Angeles counties is for temperatures to reach as high as the 80s for a few days this week with a high of around 84F (27C).
The hot weather has already been causing trouble for residents.
Two men were airlifted to the Cedars Sinai hospital in Los Angeles after they crashed through a window to escape the fierce heat, Los Angeles County sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said on Monday.
Their vehicle’s windshield had been destroyed by heat shrapnel from exploding dry leaves, he said.
The heat is expected to stretch into Tuesday, when temperatures hit 100F (37.8C), according to the weather service.
“We are well aware of the heat alert and have been monitoring the situation but do not anticipate widespread impacts until Thursday,” meteorologists at the weather service wrote in an alert.
“It is a unique event for the region, in that this is the second of back to back above average temperatures and is the hottest of the three consecutive events.”
The high temperature on 1 September for Los Angeles County was 104F (40C), and on 1 October it was 102.5F (38C), according to the weather service.
On average, the hottest day of the year in LA County is July 3, with an average high of 103.8F (38.9C) set in 2015, according to the weather service.
The hottest month in LA County is July with an average high of 102.7F (38.9C) set in 2015, according to the weather service.
Los Angeles last exceeded 100F at the end of August, in 1985.
The heat
