The heat wave that has been baking Southland for nearly a week will continue through at least Saturday, with forecasters continuing to warn today of potentially record-breaking temperatures.
“The combination of strong high pressure and weak onshore flow will continue to produce dangerously high temperatures across the region through at least Saturday,” according to the National Weather Service. Previously, forecasters had said the high heat would afflict the region through Friday.
Even the coast will be basking in the heat, with Friday expected to be the warmest day.
Highs at the beaches are expected in the 80s to mid-90s, while temperatures will range between 95 and 105 degrees at locations a few miles inland, forecasters said.
A small craft advisory remains in effect until 9 pm pdt this evening.
“Some cooling is expected Saturday, but temperatures will still be well above normal and all the current advisories and warnings will continue through at least Saturday evening,” according to the NWS statement.
An excessive heat warning will remain in effect until 10 p.m. Saturday along the coast, in beach cities, in metropolitan Los Angeles and the Hollywood Hills. The warning will also be in effect in the Antelope Valley, Los Angeles County and Santa Monica mountains and the San Fernando, San Gabriel and Santa Clarita valleys.
Forecasters again urged caution in response to conditions, including avoiding strenuous work in high heat and drinking plenty of water. Also, “never, ever leave people or pets in enclosed vehicles, even for a short period of time,” warned an NWS statement, noting interior vehicle temperatures can rapidly rise to lethal levels. For tips on how to spot and avoid heatstroke in pets, read this article by VCA registered veterinary technician Maria Libonate.
Complicating matters for many residents trying to keep cool was the lack of electricity. Crews were working to restore power to more than 11,000 customers in the Los Angeles area. The Department of Water and Power had about 8,300 customers in South Los Angeles and more than 1,000 in the San Fernando Valley customers without power, and crews were working to repair overloaded equipment in Arleta. Southern California Edison also reported outages affecting more than 1,400 of their customers in Los Angeles County, plus more than 1,500 in Riverside County.
