The heat wave is coming to Los Angeles.
With temperatures in the upper 80s Thursday and 90s through much of the weekend, there’s an increased risk of wildfires.
A serious threat of wildfire hung Thursday over the Southland’s mountains and forests and the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys amid strong, gusty winds, low humidity, bone-dry vegetation and a spike in temperatures, forecasters said, describing a situation forecast to prevail through much of Saturday.
“The gusty northeast winds, very low relative humidity, hot temperatures, and extremely dry fuels will result in extreme fire danger,” the National Weather Service said in a statement.
A red flag warning denoting a high risk of wildfire will be in force until 3 p.m. Saturday in the San Gabriel Mountains in L.A. and Ventura counties, the forests that cover the San Gabriels, the Santa Monica Mountains, and the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys.
As a precaution, the Los Angeles Fire Department has staffed nine extra fire engines, five extra brush patrols, and one extra helicopter to be on standby. However, there are no parking restrictions in effect in hillside areas, as would be the case if fire department managers considered the risk of wildfire even higher, the LAFD reported.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department’s “augmented staffing” today includes nine extra water tenders, which are fire trucks that can carry large amounts of water; nine extra truck patrols; and the pre-deployment of a strike team — consisting of five fire engines and a battalion chief — at Fire Station 89 in Malibu.
The National Weather Service had issued a fire weather watch, which is a notch less serious than a red flag warning, for the Santa Monica Mountains and the San Fernando Valley but decided Wednesday afternoon to upgrade it. Portions of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties were also threatened by wildfire, forecasters said.
Forecasters said gusty Santa Ana winds will both warm up the region Thursday and make it drier. In these conditions, any fire ignition will bring the potential for rapid fire spread, along with extreme fire behavior, according to an NWS statement.
This week’s strongest winds will occur Thursday into Friday, generating gusts of between 35 and 45 mph across mountain and valley areas, a statement said.
The NWS forecast sunny skies in L.A. County Thursday and temperatures as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit higher than Wednesday in some areas, with highs of 77 on Mount Wilson; 78 in Avalon; 79 in Palmdale and Lancaster; 81 at LAX; 83 in Saugus; 85 in downtown L.A.; 86 in Pasadena and San Gabriel; 87 in Long Beach; 89 in Burbank; and 92 in Woodland Hills.
Sunny skies were also forecast in Orange County, along with highs of 76 in Newport Beach and San Clemente; 79 in Laguna Beach; 85 in Mission Viejo;86 in Anaheim and Irvine; 88 in Fullerton; and 89 in Yorba Linda.
Temperatures will continue climbing Friday and begin retreating in earnest next week. They are 8-12 degrees above normal Thursday and will be 10-15 degrees above average Friday, said NWS meteorologist Dave Bruno.
—City News Service