At least 37 million people faced heat alerts as a severe multi-day October heat wave persisted across nearly all of California. Temperatures soared 20 degrees above normal for this time of year, reaching into the 90s and 100s from the San Francisco Bay Area down to the Mexico border. In urban settings especially, warm overnight conditions offered little to no relief. Excessive heat warnings covered Southern California, including Los Angeles, Riverside, and Temecula, where triple-digit highs were recorded, while San Diego reached the upper 90s. These extreme heat warnings in Southern California are scheduled to remain in effect until 8 p.m. local time on Thursday. Over the coming days, the scorching weather is forecast to expand east toward the Great Basin, bringing high temperatures into the 80s and near 90s. On Saturday, at least eight Southern California cities broke daily high-temperature records. Anaheim and San Diego both reached 105 degrees, Santa Ana hit 107 degrees, and Vista reached 108 degrees, breaking a daily record and tying an all-time high set on June 30, 1985. Meanwhile, parts of the Gulf Coast and Southeast contended with unsettled weather, heavy rain, and thunderstorms. Flood watches stretched from Louisiana through Florida and Georgia, with a level 2 of 4 risk for excessive rainfall and flash flooding from New Orleans into the Carolinas. Rainfall totals along portions of the Gulf Coast and the Florida Panhandle were forecast between 2 and 6 inches, with localized amounts up to 8 to 10 inches possible. Additionally, a level 3 of 4 significant risk for flash flooding was issued along the lower Texas coast.
Source: abcnews.com
