The San Diego area baked under an oppressive summer-like swelter for a fourth straight day Wednesday as a dry autumn heat wave that posed critical wildfire hazards wound down toward its predicted end.
As was the case Monday and Tuesday, the county logged a handful of high-temperature records but avoided the dreaded outcome of a major brush fire erupting amid the prevailing gusty, arid Santa Ana winds.
With a gradual cooling trend and rising humidity levels expected for the remainder of the week, a “red flag” wildfire warning issued by the National Weather Service on Sunday was slated to expire early Wednesday evening.
In the meantime, day No. 4 of the unseasonable hot spell brought the following local all-time highs: 102 degrees in El Cajon, a mercury reading that exceeded the prior Oct. 25 milestone of 96, set in 1983; 100 in Escondido (97, 1909); 99 in Ramona (95, 2003); 99 in Vista (94, 1983); 98 in Chula Vista (93, 1983); 98 in San Diego (95, 1983); and 97 in Alpine (94, 1966).
Broken heat records notwithstanding, the torrid conditions were somewhat less severe than they were on Tuesday, when the thermometer at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar hit the 108-degree mark, the highest logged in the entire country for the day.
The weather should be considerably more pleasant Thursday and Friday but will remain warmer than normal for this time of year, according to meteorologists.
Temperatures will return to near-average levels early next week with the arrival of a deeper marine layer and a weak low-pressure system, forecasters advised.
–City News Service