High temperatures, winds whip through parts of California

LOS ANGELES -- Gusty winds and high temperatures whipped through parts of California on Sunday and the weather pattern prompted authorities to warn of fire threats.

The temperature in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday hit 83 degrees, close to the record-high of 85 set in 1902.

Other cities throughout Southern California also set record temperatures. Burbank sizzled at 85 degrees, above a record 83 degrees set in 1969, while temperatures hit 76 degrees in Santa Barbara, which beat the previous high of 75 set in 1958.

Temperatures in parts of Northern California also climbed. A record high was recorded Sunday in Santa Rosa, where the thermometer reached 70 degrees, beating the old record high of 67 degrees set in 1934.

In the San Diego area, a new record high of 82 degrees was set Sunday in Escondido and the temperature also rose to a record high of 83 in El Cajon.

Since Jan. 1, the National Weather Service has had a "fire weather forecast" for Southern California, which exists when dry conditions and low humidity combine with winds higher than 25 miles per hour.

"It's dangerous out there," said Bill Hoffer, a weather forecaster with the National Weather Service.

High wind warnings have been issued in Los Angeles and Ventura counties through Tuesday. Santa Ana winds could gust as high as 70 miles per hour in Los Angeles and Ventura counties and up to 60 miles per hour in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Severe winds and drought conditions caused fire officials in Riverside county to issue a fire threat warning.

Riverside County Fire Chief Tom Tisdale advised residents to use extreme caution when using fire because there has not been enough rain in the area to offset the fire danger.

The bout of weather is caused by a high pressure dome in the Pacific Ocean that caused heat to magnify in Southern California, Hoffer said.

In addition, surf warnings are in effect up and down the coast with waves expected to reach 3- to 5-feet in Los Angeles.