California City Breaks 102-Year-Old Temperature Record

Palm Springs, California, broke a 102-year-old temperature record when it hit 117 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday.
This summer, California battled weeks of heat that sent temperatures soaring well past 100 degrees in some areas. July 2024 was the hottest month California has ever seen, Newsweek previously reported, spiking temperatures to 129 degrees in Death Valley in the southern part of the state.
Stifling heat has returned to several parts of the state this week, with National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists issuing excessive heat warnings and advisories for the San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles forecast offices, as well as part of California covered by the Las Vegas and Phoenix offices.
The heat is expected to persist all week, and some areas, like Palm Springs, have already broken records. The daily high temperature record for Palm Springs was previously 115 degrees, set in 1980. However, the new temperature was also the hottest ever recorded in Palm Springs during the month of October since records began in 1922.
The NWS office in San Diego shared the news on X, formerly Twitter.
“Palm Springs recorded a high temperature of 117 degrees this afternoon. This not only breaks the daily record (previously 115 in 1980), but is also the highest temperature recorded at Palm Springs in the month of October since records began in 1922,” the office posted.
NWS meteorologist David Munyan told Newsweek that the extreme heat is expected to persist into next week. Palm Springs could break several more daily temperature records in that time.
Several other California cities in the San Diego forecast region also broke records, the office said. Some records were for daily maximum high temperatures, whereas others were for daily minimum high temperatures.
The office posted, “On Tuesday, we broke daily temperature records on both ends of the thermometer.”
Cities in the San Diego forecast region setting a new daily maximum high temperature include San Jacinto at 106 degrees, Idyllwild at 98 degrees, Palomar Mountain at 93 degrees, Lake Cuyamaca at 94 degrees, Campo at 105 degrees, and Indio at 117 degrees.
Borrego and Big Bear tied their previous daily highs at 111 and 82 degrees, respectively. Meanwhile, Palm Springs and Idyllwild also broke their high minimum temperatures at 82 and 65 degrees, respectively.
Excessive heat warnings remain in place across parts of the San Diego forecast region on Wednesday and are set to expire Thursday night. Given the forecast, Munyan said the office will likely extend the warnings through the weekend.
“Dangerously hot conditions with temperatures from 108 to 115 expected. Low temperatures in the mid 70s to around 90 expected,” the warning for the Palm Springs area said. “Heat related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat events. Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.”