Southern California's streak of unseasonably warm New Year's weather is about to take a break.
After more than a week in which temperatures hovered in the 70s and 80s in central Los Angeles, they are expected to drop into the more normal range starting Tuesday as a low-pressure system approaches the region, said Lisa Phillips, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
Phillips said highs should be in the 70s for the valleys and mid- to upper 60s near the coast by Wednesday, with chances for light rain Wednesday night into Thursday.
“We had a little heat wave here and it's coming to an end,” Phillips said.
While temperatures have been warmer than normal, it is not unusual to have bouts of warmer weather in January, because dry, offshore winds often blow through the south during the month and raise temperatures, Phillips said.
That pattern contributed to the soaring temperatures and is familiar to many Southern Californians who take the opportunity to sunbathe on the beach in January, when the rest of the country is buried under snow.
Phillips said the colder weather, by Southern California standards, may not last long, and additional warming is possible next weekend.
