SoCal heat wave; a leave of absence

Today will be a hot one in the Southland–highs well in excess of 100 degrees in typically hot locations inland and even aproaching 100 degrees on the coast. The hot weather will extend into NorCal, though it won’t be quite so intense there–near 100 in the Central Valley and favored coastal valleys and 80s-90s most everywhere else (except the immediate coast, which won’t see readings much above 70 due to persistent cold sea surface temperatures in the mid to upper 40s). The hot weather will continue for several days longer (but today will likely be the hottest of the current heat wave in many locations).  No real significant weather is seen on the horizon at this time. The monsoon may soon be on Arizona’s doorstep, but there are no imminent threats of monsoonal incursion into CA. All in all, the current pattern is a fairly typical one for early summer. The formerly strong La Nina event in the equatorial Eastern Pacific Ocean has petered out, with some subsurface warm temperature anomalies beginning to develop. This might begin to suggest the possibility of a warm event–El Nino–before next winter. This will need to be watched very closely, as it could have significant implications for the precipitation received in CA during the coming wet season (which, given the currently precarious state of water resources in CA, will be crucial in determining how bad the current drought situation will get).

I will be travelling to South Africa for the next five weeks and may not be able to update Weather West. If I am able to do so, updates will be brief and possibly unrelated to California weather. Moderation of comments will not occur, so my apologies if they continue to be deleted by the WordPress software. I will be able to begin making full updates again upon my return.