SOUTHLAND – (INT) – If this summer has left you feeling wilted, statistics will justify that.

The National Weather Service (NWS) says July was the hottest July on record in California with an average temperature of 81-point-7 degrees. It was 1-point-9 degrees warmer than the previous hottest July.

Locally, the Metro Inland Empire recorded fifteen days of 100-degree temperatures in July and a heat wave that spanned nine consecutive days. Heat records were challenged in Death Valley, even at night.

As summer rounds out its final 2-weeks, temperatures are expected to continue above average, especially across the inland mountains and deserts. An early September heat wave generated the highest temperatures for Riverside and San Bernardino in four years.

Monsoon summer storms have been tame, for the most part this summer and will continue below average.

The current forecast calls for a developing La Nina pattern that may support a dry fall and a slow start to the fall and winter wet season.

Story Date: September 16, 2024