A fall heat wave is coming to the Los Angeles area, and by Monday it’ll be hotter downtown than in Palm Springs.
At the same time, the heat, low humidity and high winds mean red flag warnings denoting the threat of wildfire were in effect Friday in mountain, forest and valley areas of Southern California, and forecasters warned that the threat will persist through the weekend.
It’s early fall, but summer-like high temperatures will be in the low 90s in much of the Southland starting Saturday and running through the early part of next week. The high expected in downtown Los Angeles Monday is 96 while it’ll only be 95 in Palm Springs, usually one of the hottest spots in California.
A red flag warning will be in effect until 2 p.m. Sunday in the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, L.A. County’s Angeles National Forest, Ventura County’s Los Padres National Forest, and the Santa Clarita Valley.
Northeast winds of 15 to 30 miles per hour gusting to between 35 and 45 mph are expected in the mountains and forests through Sunday, along with humidity levels of only between 5 and 15 percent, according to a National Weather Service statement. In the Antelope Valley, a red flag warning was due to expire at 9 a.m. Friday.
In the Santa Clarita Valley, north-to-northwest winds of between 15 and 25 mph with gusts of between 30 and 40 mph are expected through Sunday amid humidity levels of between 10 and 20 percent, it said.
In the Santa Monica Mountains and the San Fernando Valley, a red flag warning will be in effect from 11 p.m. Friday until 2 p.m. Sunday because of winds of between 15 and 25 mph, gusts of up to 35 mph, and humidity levels in single digits and low teens, according to the NWS.
In these conditions, “if fire ignition occurs, there could be rapid spread of wildfire,” leading to a loss of life and property, the statement said.
The NWS forecast sunny skies in Los Angeles county Friday and highs of 74 on Mount Wilson; 77 in Avalon; 79 at LAX and in Palmdale; 80 in Lancaster; 83 in San Gabriel; 84 in downtown L.A. and Saugus; 86 in Long Beach and Burbank; 88 in Pasadena; and 92 in Woodland Hills.
Sunny skies were also forecast in Orange County, along with highs of 73 in San Clemente; 75 in Newport Beach and Laguna Beach; 79 in Mission Viejo; 80 in Irvine; 82 in Fullerton and Anaheim; and 83 in Yorba Linda.
Temperatures will climb Saturday, reaching 100 in Woodland Hills, then keep climbing until Tuesday, when a downward trend will get underway in several communities.
—City News Service