Near record heat to bake O.C. this week

The high pressure system that pushed local temperatures more than 10 degrees above normal in Orange County this weekend will send the mercury to near record levels on Monday and Tuesday, says the National Weather Service. And a second warm spell is likely to bake the region next Saturday and Sunday, keeping things dry in what’s historically the second wettest month of the year.

“This is like a summer weather pattern,” says Mark Moede, a weather service forecaster.

The temperatures will rise into upper 70s on Monday and low 80s Tuesday, possibly hitting 85 degrees. The average high for John Wayne Airport in February is about 65.

The heat will be followed Wednesday and Thursday by an “insider slider,” which is what forecasters call a low pressure system that plunges down the interior of the West Coast from the Pacific Northwest. Such systems usually travel down the coast. And this slider, like many others, won’t bring rain.

 The county could be feeling the impact of La Nina, a periodic climate change that typically produces below average rainfall in Southern California. Since July 1st, John Wayne Airport has received 6.75 inches of precipitation. The average for this date is 7.50 inches.