May has felt a bit like a weather rollercoaster so far, and it's not quite over yet. Southern California is about to get another blast of heat before the month ends. This could be just the beginning of a long, hot summer, which means higher risks for wildfires.
According to Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA, we'll likely see a "heat dome" settle over our region in the next five to six days, characterized as a big blanket of high pressure that traps in warm air.
Want to get caught up on what's happening in SoCal every weekday afternoon? Click to follow The L.A. Local wherever you get podcasts.
Along with all that heat, there's a chance we could see some thunderstorms in the mountains.
Looking further ahead, Los Angeles could start heating up earlier than usual in June and July, with projections of record-breaking temperatures from late July through September.
We've already had a couple of weird weather swings recently, where temperatures suddenly jumped 10 to 25 degrees hotter in just a few days. This pattern of sudden hot spells is expected to continue.
In fact, according to Swain, there's a very high chance (70 to 100%) that most of the Southwest U.S. will be much hotter than average during the summer months of June, July, and August. This means those months could be among the warmest on record.
If these hot forecasts hold true throughout the summer and into early fall, Swain says it will make the fire season much worse. So, it might be a good idea to get your home's air conditioner checked out and make sure your emergency go bags are packed and ready.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
