HOT TIME IN LA TO COME

Mercury rising: Greater L.A. to heat up an average 4 to 5 degrees by mid-century

Alison Hewitt, June 21, 2012 (UCLA Newsroom)

“… Mid-Century Warming in the Los Angeles Region [by UCLA climate expert Alex Hall shows that climate change will cause temperatures in the Los Angeles region to rise by an average of 4 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit by the middle of this century, tripling the number of extremely hot days in the downtown area and quadrupling the number in the valleys and at high elevations.]…

“…[T]he most sophisticated regional climate study ever developed…The study looked at the years 2041–60 to predict the average temperature change by mid-century…[C]oastal areas like Santa Monica and Long Beach are likely to warm an average of 3 to 4 degrees. Dense urban areas like downtown Los Angeles and the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys will warm an average of 4 degrees, and mountain and desert regions like Palm Springs and Lancaster will warm 4 to 5 degrees…”

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“These figures are only annual averages, and the day-to-day increase in temperatures will vary…Southern Californians should expect slightly warmer winters and springs but much warmer summers and falls, with more frequent heat waves. Temperatures now seen only on the seven hottest days of the year in each region will occur two to six times as often…The number of days when the temperature will climb above 95 degrees will increase two to four times, depending on the location…

“Cutting greenhouse gas emissions could reduce the impact on Los Angeles…However, even if the world has an unanticipated — and perhaps unrealistic — success in drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the greater Los Angeles area will still warm to about 70 percent of the currently predicted levels, the study found…”

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