It's not just you. Monday turned out to be the hottest day ever recorded -- at least in downtown L.A. At 12:15 p.m., the weather station at USC hit the 113-degree mark, breaking the old all-time high of 112 set on June 26, 1990.
It makes Monday the hottest day ever since records in downtown L.A. started being kept in 1877, said Stuart Seto of the National Weather Service.
Seto said the record was impressive, "especially after such a cool summer."
As of noon, Weather.com reported that Santa Monica had hit 106, West Hollywood was at 111, and Long Beach was at 107.
The National Weather Service warned of extreme heat and red-flag fire dangers Monday. A small fire broke out in Ladera Heights but was quickly put out. Another small brush fire was contained Sunday night in South Pasadena.
On the energy front, California consumers were expected to use more than 45,000 megawatts by peak afternoon hours, said Gregg Fishman, a spokesman for Cal-ISO, which coordinates power for 85% of the state's grid.
Though the expected energy consumption was high for this time of year, increased usage was not expected to cause any serious problems, Fishman said. Still, Cal-ISO is recommending residents avoid using large appliances in the afternoon.
And don't forget to turn off the lights when you leave a room, Fishman said.
"Given the situation as we know it right now, we should be fine,'' he said. "But grid conditions are dynamic, and things can change."
