By Reginald Stanley. Posted September 25, 2022, 6:01 PM.

A late-September heat wave greeted the region for the beginning of Autumn, ushering a return of temperatures in the upper 90s and possible triple-digits inland as the heat wave peaks Monday-Tuesday.

Thunderstorms had formed over the mountains each afternoon beginning on Friday, and had mostly remained limited to those areas. Drier air on Monday and Tuesday will decrease any moisture over the mountains, while temperatures are forecast to top out near 100 degrees in many inland valleys during that time. The National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Warning for the inland valleys, as well as a general Heat Advisory for coastal areas, from 10 AM Monday through 8 PM Wednesday. Warm nights have returned for the time being, however not nearly as warm what the region experienced early in the month. An upper level trough is forecast to bring gradual cooling to the region, to near seasonal averages, beginning on Wednesday and continuing into the weekend.