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16 Beach Snapshots: Scenes from California beaches include palm trees & sunsets, surfboards in the sand, piers, people at the water’s edge, snacks, surfers and umbrellas for shade.

If you find yourself tempted to utter the words, “global warming”, go ahead and say them. When October roared in like a lion in California this year, it wasn’t particularly unusual that temperatures along the coast reached almost 100 degrees. October is traditionally a time in which Californians expect at least one heat wave–and keep their fingers crossed that no major fires break out in the mountains and canyons. The beaches all along the coast between San Diego to San Francisco were hit with heat as October 2012 began–nothing unusual here. For those of us who have felt like we’ve lived one of the longest, hottest summers on record, it’s not our imagination running wild, however! It really was a hot year–the hottest on record!

For the year-to-date, the U.S. had its warmest eight months of any year on record, and the past 12 months have been the warmest such period as well.

HOT OCTOBER IN CALIFORNIA

• Southern California – Los Angeles and Southern California beaches  (Orange County and San Diego County) entered October with temperatures between 90 and 95 degrees, though a cooling trend has brought temps down by about 15 degrees F. What a relief!
• Inland Empire – Just inland from Los Angeles in Riverside it hit 107 degrees on October 1.  Mid-80s are on the chart for the next week or two. Temecula wine region is in its prime with the fall harvest happening and weather cooling. Enjoy!
• Central Valley – On October 2 it reached 99 degrees in Visalia, with similar temperatures felt throughout the Central Valley. A cool 80 degrees is predicted for the weekend, with a steady decline on its way. Hooray!
• Deserts – Palm Springs entered October 2012 with 111 degree weather, nearly 15 degrees above average daytime highs for this season. Death Valley clocked in at 113 degrees as we entered October, but after Monday, the temperatures are expected to drop into the 80s–perfect time to visit!
• Sierras -South Lake Tahoe was 80 degrees on October 1, but now there’s a cooling trend and night temperatures are hitting as low as 25 degrees. If you don’t like snow, you better go now!
• Bay Area – It peaked at 96 degrees on October 2, and San Francisco actually hit 94. While daytime temps will bounce around for the next few weeks with a high of 80 degrees some days, it will be quite comfortable–definite travel weather.
• Central Coast – It hit 104 degrees in San Luis Obispo on October 1. Temps in the next several weeks should fluctuate between the 80s and 60s for daytime highs. Nice!

NOTE: Temperatures are based on Accuweather.com reports.