Hottest August seared into California record books

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The thermometer at Calvary Church in Woodland Hills registers 116 degrees Fahrenheit. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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The Holser Fire burns through the night just east of Lake Piru, where actress Naya Rivera died in mid-July. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Lifeguard Michael Alfaro, wearing protective gear, works with 5-year-old Kaila Holliday during a swim lesson at Marie Kerr Pool in Palmdale. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

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After a day at the beach, Sebastian Grand, 11, left, Leo Grand, 13, and Constantin Condraschi, 12, of Orange County have pizza at a Slice of New York Pizza in Seal Beach. (Josie Norris / Los Angeles Times)

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L.A. Rams rookie outside linebacker Terrell Lewis towels away sweat as temperatures soar at the Rams training facility in Thousand Oaks. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Jose Vasquez, left, and Jordan Taylor play a pickup basketball game at Sgt. Steve Owen Memorial Park in Lancaster. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

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Benjamin Cole II shows son Barreth Cole, 5, a routine while joining members of Barry’s Bootcamp as they conduct a workout session at the Watts Empowerment Center. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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Jon Galapago takes a break from the heat in a hammock during a day of fishing at Lake Evans in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Watts residents pick out clothing during the Children Mending Hearts weekly food and clothing giveaway at the Watts Empowerment Center. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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The Original Snake Doctor, left, and Louis Benton play a game of chess in Leimert Park. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

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Victor Eddie Chavez, 9, and Evangeline Benitez, 3, run through a fountain’s spouts at Hollywood & Highland. (Josie Norris / Los Angeles Times)

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Matthew Giron, 8, frolics with friends and family near a drainage pipe along the San Gabriel River. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

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A funnel appears in a thick plume of smoke from the Loyalton fire in Lassen County, Calif., on Aug. 15. (Katelynn & Jordan Hewlett via Associated Press)

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Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on Aug. 16. Numerous lightning strikes sparked brush fires throughout the region. (Noah Berger / Associated Press
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Firefighters prepare to defend a home as flames from the River fire approach in Salinas on Aug. 17. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)

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A chimney stands amid the rubble of a home destroyed in the River fire. (Noah Berger / Associated Press )

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Don and Sally Joaquin watch for lightning strikes on Aug. 16 in unincorporated Contra Costa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)

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Friends and family rollick in a drainage pipe along the San Gabriel River. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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People head to the beach in Venice amid the heat. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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Liz Saul reads a novel on her iPad in the comfort of an air mattress in Venice. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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Beachgoers create a forest of umbrellas on the beach at Santa Monica. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Windsurfers sail off Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

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People escape the heat at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

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An employee of a hot dog stand works inside the eatery along the boardwalk in Santa Monica. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Jacob Debreceni, 16, with friends Ismael Fuentes, left, and Kevin Lemus, cools off with the help of a backyard waterslide in Mira Loma, Calif. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Tropical moisture moving onshore northwest of Santa Barbara on Aug. 15 brought lightning strikes but also rainbows. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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A cool breeze propels windsurfers across the shimmering waters off Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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A paddle boarder chooses a rental board at Bayshore Beach in Long Beach. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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DeAndre Michaels dips his toes in a fountain in Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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At the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley, Mike Garcia of Norco and his children Jose, 7, and Monica, 10, employ multiple stay-cool techniques. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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The Telles family of the San Fernando Valley enjoys the water of the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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The scene at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro on Aug. 14, where a cooling breeze kept the shore comfortable. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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At Woodley Park in Van Nuys, Blanca Celaya of Winnetka and her family enjoy the shade. She holds her 3-month-old son, Jason Celaya. Beyond are her daughter Celia Barinese and husband, Jaime Paiz. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

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Pedestrians pass a Black Lives Matter mural in Hollywood.
(Josie Norris / Los Angeles Times)

By Hayley SmithStaff Writer

Sept. 10, 2020 12:17 PM PT

In the midst of the state’s most destructive wildfire season, California has garnered another dubious distinction: the hottest August on record in California, according to a report from UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain.

A ferocious heat wave midway through the month — during which parts of Los Angeles County soared well above 100 degrees — helped push limits not seen since a deadly seven-day stretch in July 2006. In Death Valley, a blistering 130 degrees on Aug. 16 was thought to be the highest temperature on Earth in nearly a century.

The overall record for the hottest month in California was July 2018, although the highest spikes in August 2020 were higher than the highest spikes back then, Swain said.

“And the spikes we had just this past weekend in September were even higher than the spikes in August,” he said.

California wasn’t the only state to reach new heights in August: Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico also saw their own hottest Augusts on record, Swain’s report said.

“You weren’t alone — not that that makes you feel any better,” Russell Vose, a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said of the findings across the western U.S. Vose said the records go back as far as 1895.

“The warmth that you’re seeing here is consistent with what you’d expect to see in a climate that’s trending that direction in general, all over the world,” he said.

The outlook for September is similarly harsh, said Lauren Gaches, spokesperson for NOAA’s National Center for Environmental Prediction, who confirmed there is “at least a 50% chance” of September temperatures in California coming in higher than normal.

The month already saw a scorching start with a Labor Day weekend heat wave that shattered records in Los Angeles. On Sept. 6, Woodland Hills soared to 121 degrees — the hottest official temperature on record in L.A. County, according to the National Weather Service. Amid the intense heat, dozens of wildfires are burning across the West.

What’s more, the six warmest years on record have all occurred in the past six years, according to NOAA. Concerns about “climate chaos” are only likely to climb as well.

“As the years roll on, you’ll be more inclined to see more of this in the future,” Vose said. “That’s probably what you would expect.”