As of about 4:25 p.m. EDT (1:25 p.m. PDT) Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, the National Weather Service has Extreme Heat Warnings in effect across Southern California. NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard’s warning for the Los Angeles and Ventura County coast and valleys runs until 8:00 p.m. PDT Thursday, Oct. 8. NWS San Diego’s warning runs until Thursday for the San Diego County coast, Orange County and the Inland Empire, and until 8:00 p.m. PDT Friday, Oct. 9, for the Coachella Valley, the San Diego County Deserts and the San Gorgonio Pass. Downtown Los Angeles had its fourth consecutive day of 100 degrees or higher on Monday, which NWS calls the record for October. No formal NWS Record Event Report for Tuesday, Oct. 6 had been issued as of that time, and NWS’s warnings and forecast discussion describe no impacts that have already occurred.
What NWS says about the warning and what it advises
NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard issued its Extreme Heat Warning at 2:56 a.m. PDT Tuesday. Among the areas covered are the Los Angeles County Inland Coast including Downtown Los Angeles, the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys, Ventura County, the Malibu Coast, and Catalina and Santa Barbara Islands.
The warning’s summary reads: “Dangerously hot conditions with temperatures reaching 90 to 100 at the coast and 106 in the valleys.” NWS adds that “Very hot temperatures are likely to continue into the second week of October, possibly requiring an extension of this product.”
NWS San Diego issued its warning at 12:33 p.m. PDT Tuesday. For the San Diego coast, it puts highs “ranging from the mid 80s to lower 90s at the beaches to the mid 90s to around 100 for the mesas and other higher coastal terrain.” Farther north, NWS Sacramento issued a Heat Advisory at 11:32 a.m. PDT Tuesday for the Western Shasta County foothills, including the Redding area, in effect until 10:00 p.m. PDT Friday, Oct. 9.
In the Los Angeles/Oxnard warning, NWS says: “Heat related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat events.” Its listed precautions are: “Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.”
The NWS San Diego warning adds: “Do not leave young children and pets in unattended vehicles. Car interiors will reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes.”
Preliminary records from Oct. 4 and Oct. 5
NWS labels its Record Event Reports preliminary, and the figures below are as printed. The NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard report for Oct. 4 is dated 6:30 p.m. PDT Sunday and its Oct. 5 report 6:24 p.m. PDT Monday. The NWS San Diego report for Oct. 5 is dated 11:59 p.m. PDT Monday.
Oct. 5, NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard (new high, old record):
- NWS Oxnard: 98, breaking 94 set in 2023
- Camarillo: 99, breaking 98 set in 2023
- Los Angeles Airport: 101, tying 101 set in 1971
- Bob Hope Airport (Burbank): 102, tying 102 set in 1943
- Long Beach Airport: 104, tying 104 set in 1971
- Downtown Los Angeles: 104, breaking 101 set in 1953
- Woodland Hills Pierce College: 106, breaking 105 set in 2025
NWS’s forecast discussion on Tuesday morning says “7 records were broken” on Monday. NWS’s own list in that discussion shows three of the seven were ties (Burbank, Long Beach Airport and Los Angeles Airport), so seven records were set or tied.
Oct. 4, NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard:
- Camarillo: 99, breaking 98 set in 1953
- NWS Oxnard: 99, breaking 94 set in 2023
- Bob Hope Airport (Burbank): 101, breaking 100 set in 1964
NWS San Diego’s record report lists these highest-maximum-temperature records set or tied on Oct. 5 (new high, old record):
- Anaheim: 104, old 99 (2020)
- Santa Ana: 106, old 103 (1953)
- San Diego: 97, tying 97 (1971)
- Oceanside Harbor: 93, tying 93 (1971)
- Vista: 103, old 98 (1987)
- Chula Vista: 99, old 90 (2020)
- Escondido: 106, old 101 (2020)
- Ramona: 101, old 98 (2024)
Warm nights set records too
The same San Diego report lists record-high minimum temperatures, meaning the warmest overnight lows, set or tied on Oct. 5:
- Anaheim: 77, old 73 (2013)
- Santa Ana: 75, tying 75 (2013)
- Newport Beach: 72, old 68 (1997)
- San Diego: 73, old 70 (1997)
- Oceanside Harbor: 73, old 67 (1997)
- Vista: 72, old 68 (1997)
- Chula Vista: 73, old 70 (1997)
- Riverside: 71, old 68 (2005)
- Escondido: 72, old 69 (1997)
- Ramona: 62, tying 62 (1997)
- Alpine: 72, old 70 (1987)
NWS San Diego’s coastal warning text says: “Nights will be very warm with low temperatures in the upper 60s to mid 70s.”
What NWS expects, day by day
The NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard area forecast discussion, in the updated version headed 10:02 a.m. PDT Tuesday, gives this outlook. Its summary: “A major and long lasting heat wave will to persist through at least Thursday with dangerously high temperatures, though some cooling is expected near the coast the next few days.”
- Today (Tuesday): “very similar to Mondays with mostly 90s for the coasts” (mid 80s to lower 90s on the Central Coast) and “100 to 105 in the vlys” (valleys).
- Wednesday: “2 to 4 degrees of cooling for the csts and vlys south of Pt Conception” as afternoon onshore flow increases, while the Central Coast warms 3 to 5 degrees as offshore flow increases there.
- Thursday: another “2 to 4 degrees of cooling,” with valley highs of 98 to 102. NWS notes: “Despite the cooling max temps will remain 10 to 15 degrees above normal.”
- Friday through Monday: “highs will still be 6-12 degrees warmer than normal with warmer valley highs around 100 and Downtown in the low to mid 90s.” NWS expects “A more pronounced cooling trend” by Saturday.
- Sunday: NWS says a weak upper-level low dropping down the California coast “may pull up moisture from Rachel, depending on Rachel’s track, so there is a chance of showers by Sunday, mainly LA County.” The synopsis names Hurricane Rachel as the source of that moisture and calls it a “small chance of showers and thunderstorms.”
On the October record, the discussion says: “It was the 4th consecutive day of max temps 100 degrees or higher at the DTLA site. This is the record for October and it looks like that record will be xtnd by 1 maybe two days.” That is NWS’s expectation, not a certainty.
The uncertainty NWS states about its own forecast
The forecaster says the computer models have not handled the surface pressure gradient forecast well for three days, which led to some forecast errors. The discussion’s wording is: “the mdls have not been handling the sfc pressure gradient forecast that well over the past three days and this has led to some forecast errors. So there is a little more uncertainty in the temperature fcst than usual.”
What is not known
- Tuesday’s records. NWS’s Oct. 4 and Oct. 5 record reports are dated in the evening. No formal Record Event Report for Oct. 6 had been issued by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard or NWS San Diego as of the time above, so the Oct. 5 reports are the latest formal ones.
- Impacts. NWS’s warnings and forecast discussion describe no power outages, illnesses that have occurred, deaths, closures or fires.
- Cause. NWS’s forecast discussion describes the pattern as upper-level high pressure over Southern California: “Upper level high pressure will reside over Srn CA today through Thursday. Hgts will range from 588 dam to 590 dam.”
- Length. Whether the warnings are extended past Thursday and Friday is NWS’s call. The Los Angeles/Oxnard warning itself says an extension is possible.