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. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Palmdale, Lancaster and Paso Robles all set new all-time March temperature records Wednesday, reaching 92, 93 and 95 degrees, respectively.<\/p>\n
An additional 18 daily temperature records<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n The extreme heat comes after Southern California smashed more than two dozen temperature records Tuesday and a handful of records Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re breaking so many records, it\u2019s definitely pretty clear that it\u2019s one of the warmest Marches we\u2019ve ever had,\u201d said National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Lewis. \u201cIt\u2019s more similar to the heat waves we see in the summer.\u201d <\/p>\n An extreme heat warning remains in place for most inland areas \u2014 and a heat advisory for coastal regions \u2014 through Friday, with officials urging people to be on guard for signs of heat-related illness<\/a>. <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Temperatures started soaring Thursday and Friday, and although they fell over the weekend, the heat wave dialed back up Monday. <\/p>\n \u201cThis is a pretty unprecedented heat wave because of the duration of it,\u201d said weather service meteorologist Paul Steward. \u201cIt looks like we\u2019ll continue with warm temperatures, possibly even into early next week.\u201d<\/p>\n 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<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/2zHEHC5ULj<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) March 17, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we reach 110 in Palm Springs later this week, we\u2019ll break this record by several weeks,\u201d Steward said. \u201cThat\u2019s just an example of how intense this heat is for this time of year.\u201d<\/p>\n L.A. County residents without access to air conditioning are encouraged to seek relief at a county pool, splash pad or cooling center<\/a> near them.<\/p>\n \u201cHeat causes more deaths in the U.S. annually than floods, storms, and lightning combined,\u201d Muntu Davis, L.A. County\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n