No amount of pumpkin spice anything could have tricked anyone into thinking that Los Angeles's October was fall-like. Hot, sunny days were disgustingly common last month, and it turns out that October in Southern California was the warmest ever, since records began. In fact, "the average high temperature was 4 degrees hotter than the previous hottest October" at the official USC measuring station, says City News Service, and a whopping 25 days of the month "saw highs of 80 or above," which is another record.
Even out on the Westside, closer to the ocean, there wasn't much relief. LAX's average high (74 degrees) was a little more than eight degrees hotter than the hottest recorded October there, back in 1958. Burbank's average high in October was 76.2 degrees—9.3 degrees hotter than the previous record, which was set in 1991. Partly to blame is The Blob, a huge mass of warm water in the ocean off the coast, which "means no cool ocean breezes or marine layer to offset hot temperatures on land."
November could be a different story, though, at least for the first few days. KPCC says the National Weather Service is predicting a drop in temperatures starting today, possibly to the mid-60s and low 70s, and a little light rain might be in the forecast too. But it won't last: by Wednesday, "dry, above average temperatures" are supposed to return.