Southern California is in the grips of a long heat wave that will continue through at least next weekend, forecasters said Saturday.
The temperature reached 97 degrees in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday and was above 100 in parts of the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys.
Similar numbers were expected to continue for several days, with overnight lows heating up as well, remaining in the 70s in the valleys, according to the National Weather Service. The heat wave is expected to peak Tuesday through Thursday, but temperatures will remain extremely hot next weekend.
“The combination of hot daytime temperatures, warm overnight lows and some monsoonal moisture at mid to upper levels will continue to feel uncomfortably warm,” the NWS advised.
An extreme heat watch was issued for Tuesday morning through at least Friday evening for the entire county, preceded by a heat advisory from 10 a.m. Sunday through 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Orange County was feeling the heat as well, with a heat advisory in effect until at least 8 p.m. Monday for the inland areas, though it could be extended if the current forecast holds. Anaheim reached a high of 92 on Saturday and was expected to hit 97, 99 and 100 Tuesday through Thursday.
The weather will also produce elevated wildfire danger, with “increased risk for large plume-dominated fire behavior,” according to the NWS. No major wind events are expected this week, with afternoon and evening winds in the usual range of 15 to 25 mph in the Antelope Valley.
Health officials advised people to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun during the hottest parts of the day and check up on relatives and neighbors.
The public was also urged to never leave children or pets in parked vehicles for even a minute, as temperatures inside vehicles can reach deadly levels in virtually no time.