Record Highs Heat Up Lake Elsinore

Lake Elsinore will see record temperatures today, according to the National Weather Service.

Today's projected high of 83 would top the charts for Jan. 2 since the NWS began keeping records in 1948, San Diego meteorologist Jamie Moker said.

The mercury was expected to top out at 81 in Wildomar today, according to NWS forecasts.

Tonight's lows will swoop down into the mid-40s for both communities. Highs in the 80s are expected again tomorrow.

Nearby Temecula was the top hot spot nationwide on New Year's Day with a recorded high of 89 degrees. Today's forecast for the wine-grape-growing region is 87 degrees, which would make it the nation's No. 1 hot spot again, according to an NWS meteorologist in San Diego.

El Cajon in San Diego County is forecast to top out at 86 degreees, according to the NWS.

"This is the kind of weather system we generally see during the summer," Moker said. "This is typically the rainy season. A nearly stationary high-pressure ridge combined with a very shallow marine layer is causing these kinds of temperatures in the Inland Empire."

Moker said afternoon temperatures in the lower 80s would continue through Thursday in Riverside County, with weak offshore air flow and a few high clouds tonight through Wednesday. As high pressure breaks down Thursday and Friday, he said a cooling trend would begin.

Weekend highs are forecast to be in the 70s.

A low-pressure system will take an easterly track into California, with dry, cool conditions following it. NWS forecasters don't see any Inland Empire rain on the horizon for at least a week.

Snow at ski resorts in the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains has mostly melted since a weak low-pressure system that only produced a little rain in the Los Angeles Basin the week before Christmas dumped about 16 inches of snow on the mountains around Big Bear Lake.

City News Service and David Leonard contributed to this report.