A heat wave baking Southern California could bring near record-setting high temperatures across the region starting Thursday, the National Weather Service warned.
A heat advisory is in place along the coast but almost everywhere else across the region is under a more serious heat warning, with temperatures Thursday expected to hover in the 90s inland from the coast, and somewhere between 100 and 109 degrees in the valleys, lower mountains, farther inland and the Antelope Valley.
“Get outdoor activities done as early in the morning as possible and don’t leave people or pets in closed vehicles for any amount of time,” a Thursday morning forecast from the Weather Service said. “Only the beach areas will not have dangerous heat.”
Woodland Hills is forecast to hit 107 on Thursday and downtown Los Angeles may hit 95. It’s forecast to hit 101 degrees in Pasadena.
Officials warn that overnight temperatures will also remain high, possibly in the 70s for much of L.A. County, providing little respite from the daytime heat.
On top of the heat risks are the fire risks. A red flag warning is in effect for the Los Angeles and Ventura County foothills through Saturday night.
The high-pressure system driving this heat wave will not only persist over the region for a prolonged period, but is also expected to be “stronger than normal,” said Kristan Lund, another weather service meteorologist in Oxnard, earlier this week.
The system’s length and strength will be compounded by some offshore winds, which will help keep any marine influence at bay and keep temperatures high, even overnight.
The extreme heat watch stretches east across much of the desert Southwest, reaching into southwest Arizona and southern Nevada. Phoenix could see highs of up to 114 degrees at the end of the week and Las Vegas is expected to reach up to 110.
The hot weather could be accompanied by some monsoonal thunderstorms in the mountains and deserts by the weekend, which could further elevate fire concerns given the chance for lightning.
That pattern will keep the area unstable — and likely hot — into next week, when long-range forecasts show mercury could begin falling, said Sam Zuber, a weather service meteorologist in San Diego.
We’re “probably going to see a slight cooldown into early next week — but it’s still going to be above normal,” Zuber said.
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