Desert areas of Riverside County will continue to bake under an excessive heat warning through Wednesday, but a heat advisory for the Riverside metropolitan area is expected to expire Tuesday evening.
The warning for desert areas, issued by the National Weather Service, began at 10 a.m. and will remain in effect until 8 p.m. Wednesday. The Coachella Valley, the San Gorgonio Pass, Imperial County and eastern San Diego County are all covered by the warning.
A separate heat advisory covering western Riverside County, including Temecula and Hemet, will expire at 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Daytime temperatures reached between 110 and 115 degrees in the Coachella Valley Tuesday, and temperatures were predicted to be even higher Wednesday — as high as 116 degrees in Indio. Overnight lows were predicted in the 80s.
It was 95 degrees in Beaumont Tuesday, and similar temperatures are expected Wednesday.
Riverside and Hemet both reached 106 degrees. The heat was expected to ease up in those areas on Wednesday, with temperatures in the upper 90s expected.
The city of Palm Springs will open a temporary overnight shelter amid the scorching conditions Tuesday night, and will continue to offer the service for two more nights.
The shelter, 3601 E. Mesquite Ave/, will be open to “anyone who needs it” through Thursday between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.
The city is also operating five cooling centers during the day. The centers are:
— Demuth Community Center, 3601 E. Mesquite Ave., open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays;
— Palm Springs Public Library, 300 S. Sunrise Way, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays;
— Welwood Murray Memorial Public Library, 100 S. Palm Canyon Drive, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily;
— Well in the Desert, 441 S. Calle Encilia, from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily; and
— James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity center, 480 Tramview Road, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Riverside County Community Action Partnership offers more than 50 of its own cooling centers throughout the county. A full list is available at www.capriverside.org.
Forecasters warned that prolonged exposure to the hot temperatures could lead to heat stroke, and advised people to drink plenty of water, stay in air conditioning as much as possible and check on relatives and neighbors. Children, seniors and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances, according to the NWS.
Temperatures will drop slightly by the end of the week, into the low 100s in the desert and into the 80s in the Inland Empire, forecasters said.