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Record Heat Bakes Southland

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — The mercury in downtown Los Angeles reached 97 degrees Fahrenheit on Wednesday afternoon, topping a record for the date set in 1900 by one degree, according to the National Weather Service.

High pressure and offshore winds pumped up the heat to 100 degrees in Santa Ana and San Gabriel, and temperatures were fairly evenly distributed from the coast to inland areas.

Long Beach also hit 100 degrees, breaking the record of 94 degrees set in 1976, according to the NWS. That was also the second-highest temperature recorded in November, just a degree shy of the all-time monthly record of 101 degrees set Nov. 1, 1966.

Once the winds shifted onshore this afternoon, coastal temperatures fell quickly. At Los Angeles International Airport, temperatures peaked about 2 p.m. at 98 degrees but, by 4 p.m., it was in the mid 80s. The LAX high of 98 beats the old record high of 94 set in 1950, according to NWS.

Hawthorne hit 99 degrees, and Bellflower and Fullerton were three degrees shy of that mark.

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Traditional San Fernando Valley hotspot Chatsworth reached 95 degrees, according to the NWS, which planned to issue a record report later this afternoon.

In Westwood near the coast, the mercury hit 99 degrees, breaking old record of 95 set in 1949. That also set a record high for the month, beating the old record of 97 degrees set on Nov. 4, 1976, and set a new record high for so late in the season.

Records were also likely to fall in Bellflower and Fullerton, where it was 96 degrees, and in Riverside, where it was 99 degrees.

Burbank topped out at 94 degrees, shy of the Nov. 3 record of 98 degrees set in 1976.

Woodland Hills hit 93 degrees — its predicted high — but did not beat
the record of 99 set in 1975.

Forecasters predict a gradual cool-down and return of the onshore breeze over the next few days, but the valleys could see highs in the 90s again tomorrow.

In San Gabriel, the high of 100 broke the old record of 97 degrees set in 1997.

In Lancaster, where it is normally warmer than in the Los Angeles Basin, the high was only 86, but that was still high enough to break the old record of 85 set in 1980.

(©2010 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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