Downtown Los Angeles bakes at record 113 degrees

By JOHN ANTCZAK (AP) – 1 hour ago

LOS ANGELES — A blistering fall heat wave sent temperatures to an all-time record high of 113 degrees in downtown Los Angeles on Monday and roasted even coastal cities in triple digits.

The city of Los Angeles opened cooling centers for citizens while firefighters were on alert for wildfires, but there was little wind amid the onslaught of dry heat.

Downtown hit 113 degrees for a few minutes at about 12:15 p.m., breaking the old all-time record of 112 degrees set on June 26, 1990, said Stuart Seto, a weather specialist at the National Weather Service office in Oxnard. Temperature records for downtown date to 1877.

It was not clear whether 113 would remain the day's high. Temperatures continued to fluctuate around 112 later in the afternoon, Seto said. The old record high for a Sept. 27 was 106 degrees.