Downtown L.A. records hottest Thanksgiving since 1877

A Thanksgiving heat wave stretched across Southern California on Thursday, with downtown Los Angeles hitting 92 degrees. That made this year’s Thanksgiving the hottest since record-keeping began in 1877, the National Weather Service said.

The holiday heat wave set records across the Southland, pushing the mercury into the 90s from the beaches to the inland valleys.

OTHER HIGHS

Into the 90s

The thermometer hit 91 at LAX, shattering the previous record of 84 set in 1990, according to the National Weather Service. Long Beach Airport also hit 91, a new record there.

The temperature climbed to 93 at Hollywood Burbank Airport in Burbank, 94 at UCLA and 95 in Woodland Hills — all records.

In Orange County, a weather service thermometer in Newport Beach showed 89 degrees at 1 p.m., far surpassing the previous record of 81 set in 2002.

It was the second day of record temperatures in the region. On Wednesday, downtown L.A. hit 92 degrees, LAX 92, Long Beach 96, UCLA 95, Woodland Hills 93 and Oxnard 97.

Temperatures will begin to fall Friday.

WHY?

Blame an upper-level ridge of high pressure

The hot and dry conditions stem from an upper-level ridge of high pressure hovering over the area, which is causing desert air from the northeast to flow toward the Southern California coast, said Joe Sirard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

Luckily for firefighters, who will be on high alert with the soaring temperatures, strong winds that typically trigger red flag warnings are not expected, he said.