The warm spell baked the West Coast while the Midwest and
Northeast were still dealing with the aftermath of a winter
storm. Some 129,000 homes and businesses were without power on
Christmas morning, energy companies reported.
Southern California temperatures climbed to record or
near-record levels in the upper 70s Fahrenheit (low 20s Celsius)
and low 80s (mid 20s Celsius), propelled by warm, dry Santa Ana
winds blowing toward the Pacific from the high deserts,
meteorologists said.
By midday, the temperature reached 81 degrees Fahrenheit (27
Celsius) in downtown Los Angeles and was expected to top out
just short of the city's record Christmas day high of 85 degrees
(29 Celsius), set in 1980.
The afternoon warmth followed an overnight low of 47.
Temperature records for the city date to 1877.
The city of Long Beach, about 20 miles south of Los Angeles, saw
the temperature soar to at least 83 (28 Celsius), 2 degrees
Fahrenheit above the 1972 record for Christmas Day, according to
National Weather Service meteorologist Curt Kaplan.
Daytime highs also were forecast to approach record levels in
Burbank and San Diego. Southern California's normal daytime
highs range in the mid- to upper 60s (18 to 20 Celsius) this
time of year.
The region's coastal conditions likewise brought little
Christmas cheer, with low waves expected to frustrate surfers
who traditionally wear Santa Claus costumes to ride the swells
at this time of year.
Capping a year of scant rainfall, the arrival of Santa Ana winds
also prompted the Weather Service to post a "red flag" advisory
for much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, warning of a high
risk of wildfires due to dry, blustery conditions.
The Santa Anas arise when a high-pressure area forms over Utah
and Nevada, producing a strong, westerly air flow that heats up
sharply as it blows through the desert mountains of southeastern
California and descends into the coastal basins below,
meteorologist Mark Moede said.
The winds were thought to have contributed to power outages that
left some 5,000 homes without electricity Wednesday morning in
Simi Valley, north of Los Angeles. Most customers were reported
back on line by midday, according to Southern California Edison.
(Additional reporting by Curtis Skinner;
editing by Daniel Trotta and Bill Trott)
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