The heat goes on...

The heat was unrelenting yesterday across the Southwest U.S., where most of California and Arizona set new high temperature records. The 99 degrees in downtown Los Angeles beat the old record of 96 set in 1960, and the suburb of Woodland Hills hit a record 119. All the cities in California's Central Valley set records: 109 degrees in Sacramento, 111 in Redding, and 112 in Red Bluff, Stockton and Modesto. San Francisco's 87 degrees easily beat the record of 81 for the date, set back in 1917.

In Phoenix, this morning's low temperature was 97 degrees, which broke the all-time record for highest low temperature ever recorded in that city (96, set on Jul 15, 2003). Tucson's low of 89 Saturday morning was its highest low temperature in recorded history, as well. The temperature topped out at record 116 in Phoenix yesterday, and 121 in nearby Gila Bend.

Tropical update
There is not much to talk about in the tropical Atlantic today. There is some disturbed weather in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, but wind shear is over 20 knots in this region, and unlikely to fall to the 10-15 knot range needed for something to develop. Large amounts of African dust cover the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean Sea, discouraging development in those regions.

Enjoy another quiet weekend in the tropics, everyone!
Jeff Masters