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Palm Springs has gotten an early jump on the warmth, with the "heat wave" starting back on Tuesday, reaching 90 degrees, then following with a warm 95 on Wednesday.
Phoenix last reached this temperature in the beginning of November; however, even for that time of the year, a temperature in the low 90s is more than 10 degrees above the climatological average.
Readings in the low to mid-90s that these cities will experience are more characteristic of early October.
Although they will not hit the 90-degree mark, record warmth will also spread to Fresno, Calif., and Las Vegas, Nev.
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Thursday afternoon, Fresno will approach the record of 83 that was set back in 2007. A day later, Las Vegas will get close to the record of 87 set in the same year.
Despite warmth in these cities, not everywhere in the Southwest will have extreme temperatures.
With an inversion in place on the coast, like it was Wednesday, areas near the beaches will be affected by low clouds and fog, keeping it cool.
This will be the case for Los Angeles and San Diego areas.
With much of the country experiencing an unseasonably warm winter, fears of climate change come to mind. See how well you understand recent weather, climate and the difference between them.
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