Borrego Springs hit a temperature of 120 degrees on Monday, which broke the all-time record high for this day, according to forecasters.
The previous record of 117 for July 8 was set in 1976, less than a decade after the National Weather Service started keeping temperature records.
The desert to the inland valleys are under an excessive heat warning on Tuesday through Thursday due to extreme temperatures. The warning stretches through Friday night for the deserts.
It's expected to be similarly hot on Tuesday, with the forecast calling for a high of 120 degrees in Borrego Springs, NBC 7 and Telemundo 20 meteorologist Ana Cristina Sánchez said. And, even areas outside the desert could near or break some records on Tuesday.
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Borrego Springs residents say there’s no such thing as “beat the heat.” They say beating the heat can be dangerous or even have fatal consequences, so they respect the heat -- or even outsmart it.
“Stay indoors, pump the air conditioning and maybe a little pool time,” Peter Hoffman said about the best way to handle the heat.
Fellow Borrego resident Diana Kumler offers this advice: “Be inside. If you have to do something outside, get up early, get it done and get back inside.”
The residents know how to navigate the heat, but they caution visitors who are unfamiliar with the extreme elements.
"There are people that go out and hike without water and real knowledge of the desert in summer. It’s an extremely easy way to get trouble and possibly die," Hoffman said.
“It’s extremely dangerous,” Kumler said. “We take it very seriously. The minute you start feeling nauseous or weird, stop and seek medical attention. It’s deadly.”
While many have jobs that allow them to stay inside during the hottest portions of the day, that is not possible for all jobs. Manual labor crews that often work outside try to be done by midday during the hottest days of the year, but that is not always the case. Some jobs are time sensitive, and others have deadlines that need to be met.
Esmeralda Garcia has family that has routinely worked outside in extreme heat.
"Some of the businesses that have people that come in winter, they have special projects that have to get done like irrigation systems and landscaping. Those people have to stay, sometimes mandated overtime because the job has to get done. I have family that has had to work like that. I worry about them constantly and say, 'Are you OK?' We just want them to come home," Garcia said.
