The New Year’s streak of unseasonably warm weather in Southern California is about to take a break.
After more than a week in which temperatures hovered in the upper 70s to low 80s in downtown Los Angeles, they are supposed to dip into the more normal range starting Tuesday as a low pressure system approaches the region, said Lisa Phillips, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
Phillips said highs should be in the low 70s for the valleys and mid-to-upper 60s near the coast by Wednesday, with a chance of light rain Wednesday night into Thursday.
“We had a little warm spell here and it’s coming to an end,” Phillips said.
While temperatures have been higher than normal, it’s not unusual to have bouts of warmer weather in January, because dry, offshore winds often blow through the Southland during the month and lift temperatures, Phillips said.
That pattern contributed to elevated temperatures and is familiar to many Southern Californians who take the opportunity to soak up the sun on the beach in January when the rest of the country is buried in snow.
Phillips said the cooler weather, by Southern California standards, may not last long, with additional warming possible by next weekend.
