City News Service

The mercury soared to 121 degrees Monday in Palm Springs, toppling a 50-year-old maximum temperature record, amid two heat warnings covering the Inland Empire and the Coachella Valley, the National Weather Service reported.

An excessive heat warning was issued for the Coachella Valley and the San Gorgonio Pass near Banning, and a heat advisory for the Riverside metropolitan area. Both were set to expire at 8 p.m., but some relief is in sight, according to NWS forecasters.

Meteorologist Tyler Maio said Palm Springs reached a high of 121 this afternoon, breaking the 120-degree record for this date set in 1969.

The high in Thermal was 118 degrees, while the mercury reached 103 in Riverside, 99 in the San Gorgonio Pass near Banning and 96 in Temecula, according to the NWS.

The high-pressure system that brought extreme heat to the region is expected to make its way east on Tuesday, bringing a drop in temperatures throughout the region, according to NWS meteorologist Stefanie Sullivan. After the significant cooling on Tuesday, temperatures are expected to drop a degree or two each day through Friday, Sullivan said.

A slight chance of thunderstorms is also predicted for tonight through Tuesday morning in parts of the Inland Empire and the desert region.

It's hot! Heat warning: At 114 degrees, Coachella Valley is hottest spot in Southern California, weather service says