Many Southern Californians may be turning on the air-conditioning, jumping in the pool, or heading to a cool-zone more than usual this summer.
That’s if the Climate Prediction Center’s three-month temperature outlook pans out. It’s calling for a 40-60% chance of a hotter than average summer in SoCal. And, if you have plans to take a road trip, it’ll be hard to escape the heat. Much of the contiguous United States will also feel hotter than average temperatures, plus increased humidity.
The summer solstice officially starts on June 20. But, Mother Nature jumped ahead and brought us many days of summer-like weather this past winter and spring.
A HOT START TO 2020
In January, Downtown Los Angeles recorded 17 days of above average daytime highs, mostly in the 70s with one day in the 80s.
In February, 22 out of the 29 days were hotter than average with seven days in the 80s.
March had 10 days above average, nine days in the 70s and one day in the 80s.
In April, there were 16 days above average with five days in the 80s and three days in the 90s.
And in May, DTLA had above average temperatures for 23 out of 31 days with nine days in the 80s and two days in the 90s.
WET, THEN DRY, THEN WET AGAIN
If you recall, it didn’t rain much during January and February, both usually our wettest months of the year. Downtown LA’s average rainfall for both months, combined, is around 7.04 inches, but we only received 0.36 inches. It turned out to be the fourth driest January-February combination since records began in the 1870s.
March and April were much wetter, with enough rainfall to put us 2-3 inches above average for both months. Then in May, we fell back below average. But that’s to be expected as we get closer to summer. Southern California has a Mediterranean climate which means we have slightly rainy winters and dry summers.
If the three-month outlook does pan out, let’s hope temperatures won’t get too hot. And if they do, remember that the hottest time of the day this time of year is between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Stay cool and don’t forget to wear reef and ocean friendly sunscreen.