More triple-digit temperatures baked parts of Los Angeles and Orange counties on Friday as a late-summer heat wave promises to stretch into the weekend, prompting an extension of some heat warnings through Sunday.
Extreme heat warnings issued by the National Weather Service had been expected to expire at 9 p.m. Saturday in Los Angeles, but with the blistering conditions lingering, the agency extended the warning in some areas.
The warning will now be in place until 9 p.m. Sunday in the Santa Clarita Valley, western Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, Calabasas, Agoura Hills, San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Mountains, Antelope Valley, Antelope Valley Foothills, San Gabriel Valley and the Golden State (5) and Antelope Valley (14) freeway corridors. Those areas could continue to see temperatures reaching as high as 110 degrees, forecasters said.
An extreme heat warning will also be in place through 9 p.m. Sunday for the eastern Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area and the inland coastal region that includes downtown Los Angeles. Those areas are forecast to see heat of up to 98 degrees.
A less severe heat advisory will be in place for Los Angeles County beaches, the Malibu coast and Catalina Island through 9 p.m Saturday, with highs of 90 degrees possible.
In inland Orange County, a heat advisory was extended by a day and will now remain in effect until 8 p.m. on Saturday in the areas of Yorba Linda, Anaheim, Irvine, Mission Viejo and the Santa Ana mountain area. Forecasters projected those areas to reach up to the high 90s.
A red flag warning of critical fire danger took effect at 9 a.m. Wednesday and will remain in place through 9 p.m. Saturday in the Santa Clarita Valley, San Gabriel Mountains, Antelope Valley foothills and the Golden State (5) and Antelope Valley (14) freeway corridors.
No red flag warnings are currently in effect in Orange County.
“High pressure aloft over the Four Corners Region will linger through at least Sunday,” according to the NWS. “Showers and thunderstorms will be possible over the Los Angeles and Ventura County mountains, and portions of the Antelope Valley, during the afternoon and evening hours through Monday. A few showers spilling over into the valleys and foothills cannot be ruled outover the weekend.”
Locations like downtown Los Angeles have been in the high 90s since the mercury began rising in the area Wednesday. Parts of Inland Orange County began reaching the mid 80s to the mid 90s, with the coastal parts of the county hitting the mid to upper 70s since Wednesday. Thursday was one of the hottest days of the heat wave, although similar conditions were anticipated Friday with the additional threat of thunderstorms.
The Los Angeles Fire Department has pre-deployed resources in the area in anticipation of the hot and dry conditions that are conducive to wildfires. Gov. Gavin Newsom said state firefighting resources were also dispatched to L.A. County, including 10 fire engines, two water tenders, twobulldozers, one helicopter, two hand crews, thee dispatchers and one Incident Management Team.
The Orange County Fire Authority is constantly reassessing the weather to determine if more resources are needed, the agency said, and as of Friday afternoon coverage is normal. The OCFA “closely pays attention to the National Weather Service. If they issue red flag conditions or an extreme fire weather notice, we’ll reassess,” said OCFA Capt. Thanh Nguyen.
Mayor Karen Bass has directed city personnel throughout Los Angeles to take all necessary steps to combat the conditions that will accompany the heat wave.
Los Angeles has opened augmented cooling centers throughout the city and hundreds of locations for relief from the heat.
For locations and hours of operation, visit laparks.org/reccenter and lapl.org/branches.
The city is also opening additional cooling centers that are accessible to people with disabilities and will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the days listed below:From Wednesday through Sunday:– Canoga Park Senior Citizen Center, 7326 Jordan Ave.; and– North Hollywood Senior Citizen Center, 5301 Tujunga Ave.From Thursday through Friday:– Pecan Recreation Center, 145 S. Pecan St., Los Angeles; and– Algin Sutton Recreation Center, 8800 S. Hoover St., Los Angeles.On Sunday:– Chinatown Brnach Library, 639 N. Hill St.; and– Pacoima Branch Library, 13605 Van Nuys Blvd.
Orange County cooling centers can be found at ocgov.com/cooling-centers.
Originally Published:
