Extreme heat is returning to Southern California. Here’s how bad it will get
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After a bit of a reprieve from an oppressively hot summer, another heat wave is set to scorch Southern California this week.
Temperatures are expected to begin climbing Tuesday, peaking Wednesday and Thursday, when highs are forecast to reach into the 90s and low 100s for parts of the Southland, according to the National Weather Service.
“We got a bit of a break last week,” said Rich Thompson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. But beginning Tuesday, he said, much of Southern California should prepare for “a pretty good round of heat.”
Beyond communities along the coast, most of the region will be under a heat advisory from Tuesday morning through Thursday, with highs of 92 to 105 expected, according to the advisory. Nighttime lows will likely stay in the 70s in many of the Los Angeles County valleys, and in some foothills and mountain communities, lows may not fall below 80 degrees.
The next few days in Southern California will be very, very hot. And it’s just the start of what is anticipated to be a sweltering summer.
“The combination of warmer than normal highs and lows will bring significant heat risk to many areas,” the National Weather Service’s forecast discussion said.
When highs peak Thursday, Woodland Hills and Santa Clarita are expected to top the region’s highs at 103 degrees. Palmdale is forecast to reach 101 degrees, Burbank should hit 98 degrees, and downtown L.A. could reach up to 91 degrees, according to the weather service.
Areas along the coast will still see highs climb, but less dramatically. Long Beach is forecast to peak at 86 degrees Thursday; Santa Monica at 79 degrees.
A ridge of high pressure over the desert Southwest is driving this latest wave of hot weather, with the most extreme temperatures expected along the Nevada, Arizona and southeastern California borders.
There, an extreme heat warning has been issued, with Las Vegas expecting highs up to 108 degrees, the Phoenix area up to 112 degrees and Death Valley potentially 118 degrees.
Most of Southern California, however, will see highs rise only by several degrees, and while it will be noticeable, it won’t be historic, Thompson said.
“We’ve had more extreme events earlier this summer,” he said. Still, “it’s going to be a decent bit of heat.”
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