Warmer weather on tap for Southern California after weekend of storms By Anthony Deutsch
Los Angeles Times Published: September 18, 2011 10:57 p.m.
The National Weather Service says the record low temperature for Los Angeles is expected to reach the high 90s on Monday. The record high temperature is 99 degrees in Pasadena.
The heatwave was expected to peak on Wednesday morning when temperatures may reach 100 degrees in Los Angeles County and the surrounding areas. The heat will last until the end of the week. Temperatures during the heat of the day were in the upper 90s and upper 100s in Pasadena on Monday. High temperatures in L.A. haven’t reached 90 degrees since June 4.
SACRAMENTO — When it rains, Southern California gets the bulk of its water. And when it snows, it gets the bulk of its water.
So what happens when it rains and doesn’t snow in the spring?
The answer: The rain and runoff, along with the reservoirs and aquifers, soak up most of the rainwater. And that doesn’t go away, especially for those areas west of the San Francisco Bay Area.
It also doesn’t take much of a snow to create a winter wonderland of ice dams and glacial lakes, or to trigger flash-flooding.
In fact, the weather service predicts that more than twice as much rain is expected in Southern California this winter as in any other season since record-keeping began in 1895. And the snowfall record will be hit, with the National Weather Service predicting a total of 7.5 inches by the end of the month.
“The amount of water and snow is at levels not seen in the past 60, 70, 80 years,” said Doug VanDyke, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento.
“In just the past couple of days, we’ve seen an