San Diego County is in the grips of a record-setting heat wave on Friday as an unseasonable extended hot spell blanketed Southern California.
“Daily record highs will be broken in several locations,” said the National Weather Service. “A return of onshore flow will bring some cooling to the coastal basin over the weekend, but temps will remain above average nonetheless.”
A strengthening high-pressure atmospheric system combined with winds out of the east will bring widespread record heat until the end of the week. High temperatures will be 20 to 25 degrees above average west of the mountains through Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
On Thursday, several record-breaking hot temperatures were reported across the region, including El Cajon, Chula Vista, Alpine and Ramona.
As a result of the hot temperatures, the NWS issued a heat advisory for coastal and valley communities that will be in effect until at least 8 p.m. Friday.
Maximum thermometer readings through Friday are likely to reach the low to mid-80s near the coast and the 90s across the inland valleys, tying or breaking records, the NWS reported. The East County highlands and desert locales will get less dramatic warming, up to about five degrees, meteorologists said.
The weekend will be less toasty but still unusually warm for this time of year, according to the NWS.