Record-Breaking Heat Expected In SoCal — Then A 20-Degree Drop This Week

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — The Southland is set to see weather whiplash this week as record-setting highs of more than 90 degrees are forecast in some areas Monday before a dramatic cool-off takes hold for the rest of the week.

The National Weather Service expects Monday to be the hottest day of the year so far in many areas — 10 to 20 degrees above seasonal averages. The thermometer is expected to easily reach the 90s in some Los Angeles County valleys, along with the Inland Empire and low deserts across Southern California.

There's a 10% chance it will hit 100 degrees in Palm Springs, according to the NWS.

The heat is expected to break daily records. The hottest March 24 on record in Woodland Hills was 89 degrees. “There’s a good chance we’ll break that,” National Weather Service meteorologist Robbie Munroe told the Los Angeles Times. The weather service is forecasting a high of 91 in Woodland Hills Wednesday.

One notable exception to Monday's dramatic warmup is expected to be the coast of San Diego and Orange counties. A lingering layer of haze should help keep temperatures cooler there throughout Monday.

Here are the forecast highs across Southern California for Monday:

• Downtown Los Angeles — 87
• Santa Monica — 74
• Long Beach Airport — 81
• Pasadena — 92
• Van Nuys Airport — 93
• Santa Ana — 81
• Beaumont — 84
• Temecula — 87
• Laguna Beach — 68
• San Diego — 72

A cooling trend will kick off for most of the region on Tuesday, with temperatures expected to drop 3 to 6 degrees. One exception is in the mountains and deserts — where the warm weather will continue that day.

But by Thursday, temperatures will be closer to normal across the region — meaning the areas that hit 90 degrees on Tuesday could see a 20-point temperature drop by the end of the week, according to the NWS. Woodland Hills, which was forecast to start the week with a record-setting 91 degrees, is expected to end the week with a high of 71 degrees Friday.