It's So Hot, 119°F Rain Fell In Southern California

CALIFORNIA -- If you think summers may be getting hotter in California, you may be right. In fact, not only are temperatures soaring but it's also affecting the rain. Jeff Masters, the founder of the weather service Weather Underground, wrote that 119°F fell in Imperial County on July 24.

"July 24, 2018 was one of the hottest days in California history, as a searing heat wave of rare intensity, even for the Desert Southwest, sent temperatures soaring to near-record levels," Masters wrote in his blog. "Death Valley hit 127°F, just 2° short of tying the all-time world record for hottest reliably recorded temperature; Palm Springs hit 122°F, just 1° short of tying its all-time record; and Imperial, California topped out at 121°F, their hottest day since 124°F was measured on July 28, 1995."

The day was so hot that when rain fell in the area it was "astonishingly high," Masters wrote. "A new world record for the hottest temperature ever measured while rain was falling."

"The previous record for the world’s hottest rain occurred on August 13, 2012, in Needles, California, when rain fell at 115°F with a humidity of 11%," Masters wrote.

Masters's blog comes as the state has experienced a series of excessive heat warnings, particularly in areas facing wildfires in Northern California.

Read his full blog here.

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