A major heat wave across Southern California’s interior is expected to push temperatures into the triple digits this week, further elevating the fire threat and raising concerns about health risks.
“We have a long duration of very warm to hot temperatures that will worsen during the week,” said Ariel Cohen, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
According to the weather service’s Monday forecast discussion, this warming trend “will give way to dangerous heat by mid week,” with temperatures climbing from San Luis Obispo County down to the border in San Diego County. Widespread heat advisories have been issued for much of the region through Friday, with the exception of beach cities.
Beginning Tuesday morning, an extreme heat watch will go into effect, when officials warn of “dangerously hot conditions with temperatures of 95 to 105 possible.”
“There is a high risk for dangerous heat illness for anyone, especially for the very young, the very old, those without air conditioning, and those active outdoors,” the heat advisory said.
Highs by Wednesday, away from the coast, will range from 90 to 105 degrees in most of the region, the weather service warned. In Los Angeles County, the San Fernando Valley will likely see the most extreme temperatures, with Woodland Hills expected to hit 110 degrees Wednesday. The Antelope Valley could also near 110 degrees, while Santa Clarita will be close behind at 105 or 106 degrees, forecasters said.
Low temperatures across the region will likely remain in the 70s even overnight, providing little relief and exacerbating health concerns.
A coinciding pattern bringing monsoonal moisture to the area is expected to raise humidity as temperatures rise, which “will make the overall effect of the heat significantly worse,” Cohen said. He urged people to stay hydrated, avoid outdoor activities during the heat of the day and to stay aware of symptoms of heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
That pattern causing the humidity is also expected to produce some showers and thunderstorms in the mountains, which will increase the possibility of fire starts from lightning strikes.
Cohen said the moisture that typically accompanies those storms should keep the fire threat low. However, heightened winds expected by late Wednesday over many interior mountains, including in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, will likely elevate fire conditions and could fuel rapid fire growth if one starts, Cohen said.
The region has already seen several fires pop up over the last few days, triggering evacuations near Lake Piru and in the Antelope Valley. The latter incident, the Summit fire, has already destroyed at least one home and damaged three others, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, but officials say its forward progress has been stopped.
The fire, however, was only 31% contained as of Monday, and was expected to continue to see flare-ups as hot and windy conditions persisted, officials said. It’s burned nearly 2,700 acres near the Los Angeles-San Bernardino County line.
Increased heat and winds could challenge ongoing firefights, the weather service officials warned, and will almost certainly complicate new fire starts.
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