High-pressure aloft is bringing searing heat to Southern California today.

Los Angeles hit 45 degrees today making it their hottest temperature ever recorded since records began in 1877. This also beat the daily record high set in 1963 by a number of degrees.

Temperatures have only been 43 degrees or higher three other times in L.A.

Luckily this burst of heat will not stick around too long. After a hot Tuesday with highs likely in the mid to upper 30s, temperatures are expected to trend downward.

The record heat comes on the tails of the The Weather Channel naming Los Angeles as having the 5th worst summer of 2010 for being unusually cool.

Electrical demand was much higher than normal for this time of year but no problems or shortages were expected on the state grid, said Gregg Fishman, spokesman for the California Independent System Operator, which controls about 80 percent of the grid.

“It’s manageable. We’ve got the resources available,” he said.

As Mother Nature served up California in a roasting pan, some people were able to seek relief at the beaches — though not in the hundreds of thousands who turned out over the weekend as the heat wave built.

“Because it’s Monday and it’s a school day, the crowd is a lot smaller, (but) it appears a lot of people aren’t going to work or school,” said Los Angeles County lifeguard Capt. Angus Alexander.

Angus said Monday was one of the best beach days of the year, with clear visibility all the way to Santa Catalina Island, the popular tourist destination about 20 miles off the mainland coast.

The city of Los Angeles urged people to use Parks and Recreation facilities, senior centers and libraries as cooling centers. A half-dozen senior sites were to remain open until 9 p.m., the Emergency Management Department said.
 

– Weather.com