By Reginald Stanley. Posted September 7, 2020, 3:51 AM.

The second day in a severe early-September heat wave has once again challenged record high temperatures across Southern California on Sunday, with more record highs falling than on Saturday.

Lake Elsinore recorded the highest temperature again on Sunday, a scorching 120.5 degrees - eclipsing the old record high of 119 degrees there set on July 6th, 2018. WeatherCurrents stations in Moreno Valley, Murrieta, Riverside (Presidential Park), and even Simi Valley also all recorded their highest-ever temperatures Sunday afternoon. The record heat broke numerous records all across the region this weekend, also marked by very warm overnight low temperatures. The heat exacerbated fire conditions, contributing to a large number of wildfires that burned in parts of the state Sunday and continuing into Monday. Reports of embers and ash falling in parts of the Inland Empire occurred by Sunday night. In Temecula, where records date back to August 1999, the day of September 5th 2020 was the hottest day on record in terms of daily mean temperature - 91.2 degrees, breaking the previous record of 90.1 degrees on July 6th, 2018.

The heat is expected to drop up to 15 degrees by Tuesday, falling further to the near-normal range briefly during the middle of the week. Temperatures are still predicted to remain somewhat above normal as Santa Ana Winds develop later in the week.