While you’re in for a warm, sunny, beautiful day in the Southland Friday, temperatures will be blazing hot and dangerous within a couple days coming up to the start of summer.
The mercury will start climbing into serious numbers Saturday with highs in the mid-80s. But Sunday we’ll see temperatures in the mid-90s downtown Los Angeles and even around 91 at local beaches.
And then the real heat begins.
Monday, the official first day of summer, will be the worst scorcher of the year with possible record-breaking temperatures of 101 downtown, 93 at the beaches, near 110 in local valleys and even — get ready for it — 121 in Palm Springs.
That kind of extreme heat can be dangerous to people and their pets, and officials warned against leaving kids or cute puppies — or any living thing — locked in a hot car with the widows up for even a few minutes. Any physical exercise can also endanger people, especially the elderly.
Power officials also warned there’s a possibility of outages as anyone with an air conditioner may be cranking the devices to “cold” for long periods. They asked that air conditioners be set no lower than 78.
The “dangerously hot conditions” will result from “an extremely strong area of high pressure” over Arizona and New Mexico, according to the National Weather Service.
Some relief is expected in coastal and valley areas Tuesday, but the San Gabriel Mountains and the Santa Clarita Valley “will remain dangerously hot,” according to an NWS statement.
The NWS issued an excessive heat watch that will be in force in most of L.A. County from Monday morning until Monday night but expire only Tuesday evening in the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys.
“Dangerous heat-related illness is possible, especially for sensitive populations, those conducting outdoor activities, and people without access to air conditioning,” according to an NWS statement.
Forecasters urged Southland residents to schedule outdoor work only early in the morning or in the evening, wear light, loose clothing, drink plenty of water and guard against heat stroke and heat exhaustion.
“Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency — call 911,” warned an NWS statement. It added: “Never, ever leave people or pets in enclosed vehicles, even for a short time.”
The warning about leaving people in hot cars applies especially to children and the elderly. And monitoring pets needs to extend outside the family vehicle, according to animal experts.
Los Angeles city animal services officials say pet owners must make sure their cats, dogs and other animals are kept cool during the heat wave. Pet owners should watch for signs of heatstroke, such as fast and noisy breathing, difficulty swallowing and distressed behavior.
If heatstroke is suspected, pet owners should place a cold, wet towel on the back of the animal’s head, and towel-wrapped cold compresses on their back legs and belly. The pet should be immediately taken to the veterinarian to be checked.
Other tips include:
— making sure the pet has fresh drinking water served in a large container, instead of a shallow bowl, to allow the water to remain cold longer;
— giving your dog ice cubes to eat or adding them to the water bowl;
— avoid burning dogs’ paws by keeping them off of hot pavement or concrete during walks, and if necessarily do the walks early or later in the day when it is cooler; and
— taking extra care to provide shade to pets with lighter coats because they are more likely to be sunburned.
Also of concern is the state’s power grid, prompting Los Angeles Department of Water and Power officials to urge customers to reduce their energy use whenever possible.
“During times of extreme heat, we strongly encourage customers to conserve electricity as long as it does not jeopardize their health,” DWP General Manager Marcie Edwards said. “Doing simple things such as turning up your thermostat to 78 degrees and turning off your lights will save electricity use and reduce the risk of outages.”
DWP officials noted that outages can occur during episodes of high heat when residents and businesses crank up their air conditioners at the same time. According to the utility, conservation is particularly essential from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The utility recommended that customers save energy by:
— turning thermostats to 78 degrees or higher;
— turning off unnecessary lights;
— adjusting water heaters to 120 degrees;
— using major appliances only late in the evening or early in the morning; and
— turning off pool pumps.
Residents were also urged to prepare for possible power outages by having flashlights and batteries readily available and keeping a battery- operated radio handy. DWP officials also recommended that people keep a phone charger in a car to ensure they can contact friends or relatives during an outage, keep a supply of non-perishable food and have a cooler available to use for food that needs to be refrigerated.
The NWS forecast sunny skies Friday and highs of 71 in Avalon; 73 at LAX; 79 in downtown L.A; 80 in Long Beach and on Mount Wilson; 83 in San Gabriel and Burbank; 86 in Pasadena; and 89 in Woodland Hills, Saugus, Lancaster, and Palmdale.
Sunny skies were also forecast in Orange County, along with highs of 69 in Laguna Beach; 72 in Newport Beach and San Clemente; 82 in Irvine and Mission Viejo; 83 in Anaheim; and 84 in Fullerton and Yorba Linda.
Temperatures will climb Saturday — minimally in some communities, sharply in others — and again on Sunday and Monday.
Downtown L.A., for example, is forecast to have a high of 79 Friday, 86 Saturday, 92 Sunday, 100 Monday and 91 Tuesday before slipping back into the 80s. At the same time, Woodland Hills is forecast to reach 89 today, 98 Saturday, 106 Sunday, 110 Monday and 101 Tuesday before reverting to the 90s.
—City News Service