Sure it's gray and drippy here. And there are no palm trees anywhere. But at least we're not in Los Angeles, which is sweltering in record 112-degree heat this afternoon. They've long-since broken the daily record (106 degrees in 1963). Now they've matched the all-time high for the city - 112 degrees. (Five days ago it was in the 70s, with lows near 60.)
And it's not even the hottest time of the day yet.
UPDATE: The NWS is now reporting 113 in downtown LA, the hottest reading there since record-keeping began in 1877.
Here's the forecast discussion. This from the LA Times:
"As of noon, Weather.com reported that downtown L.A. was broiling at 109 degrees; Santa Monica hit 106, West Hollywood was at 111 and Long Beach was at 107. [Updated at 12:52 p.m.: As of 12:50 p.m.: downtown L.A. had hit 112 degrees, close to an all-time record.]
"The National Weather Service warned of extreme heat and red-flag fire dangers Monday. A small fire broke out in Ladera Heights but was quickly put out. Another small brush fire was contained Sunday night in South Pasadena.
"On the energy front, California consumers are expected to use more than 45,000 megawatts by peak afternoon hours, said Gregg Fishman, a spokesman for Cal-ISO, which coordinates power for 85% of the state's grid.
"Though the expected energy consumption is high for this time of year, increased usage is not expected to cause any serious problems, Fishman said. Still, Cal-ISO is recommending residents avoid using heavy appliances in the afternoon."
But it's a dry heat.