With temperatures spiking across Southern California, an extreme heat warning was in effect Wednesday for the Coachella Valley and San Gorgonio Pass near Banning, where temperatures could potentially reach as high as 118 degrees.
The warning issued by the National Weather Service will be in place until 8 p.m. Thursday, with forecasters issuing the traditional warnings for people to drink lots of fluids, seek out air conditioning and check on relatives and neighbors who might be susceptible to heat illnesses.
Riverside County valleys and mountains will be under a less severe heat advisory until 8 p.m. Thursday, with temperatures of up to 105 degrees possible in the valleys and into the 90s at mountain elevations below 5,000 feet.
Temperatures across the inland areas were expected to be 5 to 10 degrees above normal Wednesday and Thursday. But the heat wave is expected to be short-lived, with temperatures falling about 4 to 8 degrees in many areas on Friday, when highs will range from the upper-80s to upper-90s in the Inland Empire, and up to 114 degrees in the lower deserts.