Midweek Cooldown For Baldwin Park

BALDWIN PARK, CA — Cooler weather will prevail over the next few days, according to the National Weather Service.

Southland temperatures will dip sharply Wednesday after several days of above-average heat, and strong winds will sweep the Antelope Valley, forecasters said.

A high of 71 degrees Fahrenheit is expected Wednesday in Downtown L.A., down from 77 on Tuesday. Woodland Hills is forecast to top out at 82, down from 93, and Lancaster is forecast to hit a high of 91, down from 98. The fall in temperatures results from a trough of low pressure along the coast and an increased onshore flow, said National Weather Service meteorologist Rich Thompson.

Temperatures rose considerably over recent days. On Saturday, Downtown L.A. hit 94 degrees, 20 degrees above normal, he said. There were also a few record set, including at LAX on Friday and again Saturday, when the high of 93 topped the previous record for a May 20th -- 87.

A wind advisory will be in effect from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m. in the Antelope Valley, where southwest-to-west winds will blow at sustained speeds of between 20 and 30 miles per hour, with gusts of between 40 and 50 mph. The wind could prove challenging for motorists in high-profile vehicles, and blowing dust could reduce visibility, they said.

Weaker winds are expected elsewhere in Los Angeles County, including 15 to 25 mph in the San Gabriel Mountains and the Santa Clarita Valley, 10 to 20 mph in the Santa Monica Recreational Area, and 15 mph in the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys and metropolitan Los Angeles.

The NWS forecast partly cloudy skies in Los Angeles County Wednesday and highs of 66 in Avalon and at LAX; 68 in Long Beach; 71 in Arcadia and Downtown L.A.; 72 on Mount Wilson; 77 in Burbank and San Gabriel; 79 in Pasadena; 80 in Diamond Bar; 81 in Baldwin Park, Claremont and Glendora; 82 in Woodland Hills; 83 in Saugus; 89 in Palmdale; and 91 in Lancaster.

In Orange County, residents can expect partly cloudy skies along with highs of 65 in Newport Beach and San Clemente; 66 in Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and Seal Beach; 69 in San Juan Capistrano; 74 in Lake Forest; 75 in Anaheim, Irvine and Rancho Santa Margarita; 76 in Mission Viejo; 77 in Fullerton; and 79 in Yorba Linda.

While some communities will stay at the same temperatures Thursday, others will go down sharply: Saugus from 83 to 66, Lancaster from 91 to 78, Palmdale from 89 to 77 and Woodland Hills from 82 to 69. A warming trend will get underway Saturday.