Extreme heat coming to Southern California this weekend (with forecast video)

Near-record heat will build across parts of Southern California today, possibly lasting into early next week. High temperatures will be 15 to 20 degrees warmer than normal for late April from Los Angeles to San Diego, topping out in the 80s and 90s.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued heat advisories for today and tomorrow, April 25, for downtown Los Angeles as well as adjacent coastal areas. Highs will reach the mid- and upper 90s in places such as Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo, Malibu, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Long Beach, Santa Paula, Pasadena, San Gabriel, Pomona, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Northridge and Burbank. Highs will be near 90 degrees at the nearby beaches; lower 90s in the Santa Clarita area.

Meanwhile, east and south of Los Angeles, highs will also hit the 90s in Riverside, San Bernardino, Ontario, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Corona, Escondido, El Cajon, San Marcos, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Fullerton and Mission Viejo.

The high in downtown Los Angeles hit 92 degrees yesterday, several degrees from the record for April 22. However, it was 18 degrees above normal. According to NWS records, the average date of the first 90-degree day in downtown Los Angeles is May 8.

Reefer drivers picking up loads in Southern California over the next few days will have to adjust accordingly to the unusual heat. Reefers are climate-controlled trailers used to protect temperature-sensitive freight from becoming damaged.

Outbound tender volumes of reefer freight in the Los Angeles market (ROTVI.LAX) have been rebounding lately, and reefer outbound tender rejection rates (ROTRI.LAX) are very low, at 1.5%. Rejection rates represent the percentage of electronically offered contract loads from shippers that carriers are turning down for various reasons. Low rejection rates tend to push spot rates below contract rates.

Shipments of temperature-sensitive freight like produce typically start to increase from the Los Angeles market this time of year. But the recent increase in reefer volume is likely made up mostly of standard food and beverage freight, probably related to the replenishment of grocery stores and supermarkets amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Have a great day! Please stay healthy and be careful out there!