After Shattering Heat Records, SoCal Weather In For A Significant Shift

Relief from the record heat has finally arrived in the Golden State's weather forecast as much of the state swelters under a brutal heatwave since last week, elevating the risk of wildfires and roasting inland communities.

In Southern California, a 96-year-old heat record was shattered in the Coachella Valley over the weekend, and extreme heat warnings and advisories remain in effect Monday. Many of the heat advisories, however, will begin to expire Tuesday, according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service.

"Gradual cooling Wednesday through next weekend. Night and morning low clouds will continue along the coastal areas and far western valleys, spreading slightly further inland later in the week as the marine layer deepens," National Weather Service forecasters wrote Monday.

As usual, much warmer weather is expected inland, while the Southland's coastal communities are likely to enjoy a more noticeable cooling pattern.

A high-pressure system will keep hot weather around across Southland valleys, mountains and deserts through the middle of the week. Along the coast, a persistent onshore flow and marine layer will bring cooler weather. However, temperatures everywhere will remain above seasonal norms through midweek, forecasters said Monday.

"The air mass will turn much hotter as one moves away from the coast, approaching or reaching
dangerously hot levels across the interior portions of the area over the next couple of days," NWS forecasters wrote Monday morning.

Throughout Monday, "Extreme Heat Risk" will continue until at least 8 p.m. on Tuesday for the Coachella Valley, San Diego County deserts and San Gorgonio Pass near Banning.

An extreme heat warning will also stay in place for the Antelope Valley and the nearby foothills through Tuesday evening.

The heat and dry air continue to keep fire agencies on high alert as spot fires have cropped up all over the state over the past several days, including the Canyon fire, which ignited in LA and Ventura counties on Thursday and charred 5,370 acres before firefighters gained control over it. The Rosa fire, which scorched 1,671 acres in Riverside County, also sent smoke billowing over the region last week.

Meanwhile, smoke from the state's largest active wildfire, the Gifford, which has burned 119,000 acres along the Central Coast, hampered air quality all over Southern California last week. This week, northeast winds were expected to shift smoke plumes to the southeast, the NWS Los Angeles tweeted Friday.

Smelling or seeing smoke? You're not alone! The #GiffordFire and #CanyonFire 🔥 have been creating lots of smoke that has been moving across the region, impacting air quality in many areas. Here is a smoke projection through early Sunday. #CAwx #LAWeather pic.twitter.com/noVecI4yxE
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) August 9, 2025

While coastal areas such as Newport Beach (79 degrees Friday) saw temperatures remain in the mid- to high 70s late last week and over the weekend, temperatures in the inland communities soared into the high 90s and even cracked 116 in desert areas.

Coastal communities like Carlsbad, which remained largely unaffected by the heat wave, saw a high of 70 degrees on Friday.

But interior communities like Santee experienced a high of 93 degrees over the weekend. On Monday, the high there was expected to be 87 degrees, which will eventually taper down to 82 degrees by Friday, forecasters said.

In Los Angeles County, Long Beach will kick off with a Monday high of 81 degrees, which will drop down to a high of 75 degrees by Friday. Inland, Los Angeles will likely peak at 88 degrees on Monday and will cool off to a high of 80 degrees by Friday.

Weather Service officials said the weeklong heat wave set daily record highs in multiple inland cities, with a few beating out more recent records in 2018.

"Also, take a look at that almost 100-year-old record now broken at Indio," NWS forecasters tweeted on Thursday, Aug. 7.