Isla Coronado

A 52-foot fin whale carcass appeared on a San Diego beach with no clear cause of death; it was towed back to sea.

Less than two weeks into spring, a spell of sultry Santa Ana conditions provided a preview of summer in the San Diego area. The hottest spots in the county were Santee, where the mercury hit the 92 mark, and Brown Field, El Cajon, and Poway, each of which recorded 90-degree highs.

High surf and record high temperatures throughout the county made for summer-like conditions in San Diego this weekend.

A beluga whale was spotted Friday off San Diego -- the farthest south the species has been documented on the West Coast, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed.

A rare pygmy sperm whale washed up at San Onofre State Beach in southern California.

Nearly 1,500 people throughout San Diego County are without power as winter storms sweep through the area.

Scripps Oceanography says rapid heating was caused by fair, hot weather

The high temperatures might be left over from the warm-water "blob" off California in 2014.

It is not common to see fin whales stranding along the West Coast. The species tends to stay in deeper water compared with gray whales, which travel from 10,000 to 14,000 miles (16,000 to 22,500 kilometers) round trip up and down the coast in annual migrations. There were not obvious signs of the cause of death.