Dennis RomeroThe first day of spring, March 20, is still officially more than a month away. But don't tell that to Mother Nature.
Yesterday the temperature gauge inched near and even above 90 degrees in parts of the San Gabriel Valley. There was an unofficial reading of 94 at the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area in Irwindale, National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Sukup told us. It reached 89 in the city of San Gabriel, too, he said.
It could be as warm or even warmer today, said AccuWeather.com meteorologist Brian Edwards. Expect temps to reach the mid-80s in some parts of the Los Angeles basin, he said. Rain is nowhere in the forecast, either.
If the data doesn't speak to you, here are five other signs spring might just be here a little early:
5. Tanning salons are empty. Keeping up a year-round, sun-baked tan in L.A. isn't impossible. But there will be days when exposing your skin to natural rays will also expose it to cold ocean breezes. That's not a problem this week now, is it?
Credit: Evil Erin/Flickr
4. People are texting you out of the blue. There's nothing like a little premature spring-like weather to bring out the freak in people. All of a sudden that guy who didn't know you existed wants to hang out? Blame the weather. (Plus, Valentine's Day).
3. Everyone's a surfer again. That longboarding “brah” you haven't seen at the beach since August is all of a sudden asking how the surf is and wondering if it's okay to paddle out bareback, sans wetsuit. Just tell him the ocean is where it has always been—the same place he left it.
2. Gas prices are on the rise again. After a winter of amazingly low prices at the pump, “the Southern California spring gas price spike is in full swing,” says the Auto Club of Southern California. The annual upward swing in gas prices is usually the result of more expensive summer blend fuel and higher, fair-weather demand from road-trip inspired drivers. Nothing makes us feel the warmth like the return of $3-plus gas, which the AAA says is coming our way.
Credit: Ed Carrasco/L.A. Weekly
1. It's getting hot out here, so take off all your clothes. The sundresses, high-wasted short-shorts, and exposed toes are in full effect for the women of Los Angeles. What's amazing is that, during this short winter, y'all have managed to keep yourselves in great shape. Give yourself a round of applause, L.A. And pray for one last episode of rain. We still need it.
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