Southern California saw a third straight day of record-breaking temperatures Wednesday as an unusually long and strong March heat wave pushed the mercury up to 35 degrees above normal.
L.A. and Ventura counties broke 10 daily temperature records Wednesday: Woodland Hills reached 100 degrees, topping the 92-degree record set in 1997; Burbank hit 97, compared to the 89-degree record set in 1978; and downtown L.A. topped out at 95, soaring past the 87-degree record set in 1997, according to the National Weather Service.
Palmdale, Lancaster and Paso Robles all set new all-time March temperature records Wednesday, reaching 92, 93 and 95 degrees, respectively.
An additional 18 daily temperature records were broken in the Inland Empire, San Diego County and Orange County on Wednesday, including six all-time March temperature records. The desert saw the worst of the heat, with new records set at 107 degrees in Thermal and Indio and 105 in Palm Springs.
The extreme heat comes after Southern California smashed more than two dozen temperature records Tuesday and a handful of records Monday.
“We’re breaking so many records, it’s definitely pretty clear that it’s one of the warmest Marches we’ve ever had,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Lewis. “It’s more similar to the heat waves we see in the summer.”
An extreme heat warning remains in place for most inland areas — and a heat advisory for coastal regions — through Friday, with officials urging people to be on guard for signs of heat-related illness.
Given that there is no significant change in the heat forecast for the rest of the workweek, forecasters predict many more daily temperature records will fall.
Temperatures started soaring Thursday and Friday, and although they fell over the weekend, the heat wave dialed back up Monday.
“This is a pretty unprecedented heat wave because of the duration of it,” said weather service meteorologist Paul Steward. “It looks like we’ll continue with warm temperatures, possibly even into early next week.”
Be ready for today’s heat continuing through the rest of the work week – with little day-to-day changes especially inland of the beaches. Some relief is expected into early next week. #cawx pic.twitter.com/2zHEHC5ULj
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) March 17, 2026
There is about a 50% chance that Palm Springs will hit 110 degrees Thursday or Friday, a benchmark normally reached in June, Steward said. The current record for the earliest 110-degree day of the year was set April 7, 1989.
“If we reach 110 in Palm Springs later this week, we’ll break this record by several weeks,” Steward said. “That’s just an example of how intense this heat is for this time of year.”
L.A. County residents without access to air conditioning are encouraged to seek relief at a county pool, splash pad or cooling center near them.
“Heat causes more deaths in the U.S. annually than floods, storms, and lightning combined,” Muntu Davis, L.A. County’s health officer, said in a statement. If you or someone around you experiences symptoms of heat stroke or heat exhaustion, such as dizziness, nausea, rapid heartbeat, confusion, or passing out, seek medical help immediately.”
A Times analysis in 2024 showed that heat had caused or contributed to the deaths of more than 21,500 Americans since 1999.
Public health officials are advising people planning on cooling down in the ocean to be aware of elevated bacteria levels at certain beaches.
This includes Dockweiler State Beach near the Culver Boulevard storm drain, Leo Carrillo State Beach near the public restrooms, Paradise Cove near Walnut Creek, Santa Monica Beach near the Wilshire Boulevard storm drain, Venice Beach near Topsail Street, Mother’s Beach in Marina del Rey, Topanga Canyon Beach near the lagoon and Escondido State Beach near the creek.
Moderate relief is in sight this weekend, when forecasters predict the powerful high pressure system will start to flatten out, bringing a gradual drop in temperatures.
There is a chance that heat warnings will be extended in inland areas of the Southland on Saturday; however, temperatures will start dropping near the coast, according to the weather service. Coastal areas could see marine layer low clouds return as early as Friday night and thicken on Saturday night.
By Sunday, the weather is expected to be noticeably cooler across the region. Nonetheless, temperatures are expected to remain 5 to 15 degrees above normal into next week.
Times staff writer Summer Lin contributed to this report.