A National Weather Service balloon launched from Miramar at 7 a.m. Thursday revealed that a thick layer of unusually hot air is hanging over San Diego County like the lid on a cooking pot, stoking one of the most intense heat waves the region has experienced in years.
“The air temperature in the layer was in the low-to-mid 90s,” said Mark Moede, a weather service forecaster. “Usually, the air would be in the 60s or 70s.”
The layer of hot air is located 1,500 to 2,500 feet above the surface and was created by the high-pressure system that is fueling the heat wave, which will reach its peak Saturday through Monday when the county’s inland valleys and foothills will broadly hit 100 to 105 degrees, with some spots reaching 110 to 113.
Thursday’s highs (including primary and back-up stations)
Ocotillo Wells: 112 Rincon: 107 Escondido: 104: San Pasqual Valley: 104 Ramona Airport: 104
Pamo Valley: 104 Poway: 103 Harbison Canyon: 102 Valley Center: 102 Fallbrook: 101
Santee: 101 Rancho Bernardo: 100 Buckman Springs: 100 El Cajon: 99 Gillespie Field: 97
El Cajon: 97 Vista: 96 Jamul: 96 Julian: 95 Miramar MCAS: 94
Rancho San Diego: 94 Brown Field: 93 Lake Cuyamaca: 92 Alpine: 92 Encinitas: 91
Montgomery Field: 90 Oceanside Airport: 90 Carlsbad Airport: 89 Lemon Grove: 97 San Diego International Airport: 85
National City: 83 Chula Vista: 82 Del Mar: 80 Oceanside Harbor: 79 Coronado Island: 79
There’s one positive note. Forecasters say a coastal eddy will develop west of San Clemente Island before dawn on Friday, causing cooler sea air to flow across San Diego County beaches for part of the day. Thick fog could develop in spots from Imperial Beach to Oceanside. The eddy will dissipate by late Friday.
4:58 p.m. Sept. 1, 2022: Here’s how hot it got Thursday in 35 San Diego County communities
10:16 a.m. Sept. 1, 2022: Story updated to include temperatures through 10 a.m.
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