Blame the recent warm-up on La Niña

A La Niña weather pattern building off the West Coast could mean a bit more heat for this area - and even less moisture. "It won't be much of a warm-up, but the (heating) trend will go further than normal," said Alex Sosnowski, a national meteorologist with AccuWeather. "Weather there could be a few degrees above average, but not extremely warm - not for you guys."

Sosnowski said the La Niña weather pattern involves a chilly ocean current in the Pacific Ocean.

"Right now it's just in the ramping-up stage," the meteorologist said.

He added that effects from La Niña could be felt all winter or simply last a couple months and break down.

Current temperatures have only slightly been above average. Sosnowski called the difference "extremely small," however. Wednesday's high as of early afternoon was 86 degrees, which is just two degrees above the normal high for this time.

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Darin Fenger can be reached at dfenger@yumasun.com or 539-6860.