The late-summer heat wave that has baked much of the Los Angeles area promises to stretch into the weekend, prompting an extension of some heat warnings through Sunday.
Extreme heat warnings issued by the National Weather Service had been expected to expire at 9 p.m. Saturday, but with the blistering conditions lingering, the agency extended the warnings in some areas.
Warnings will now be in place until 9 p.m Sunday in the Santa Clarita Valley, western Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, Calabasas, Agoura Hills, San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Mountains, Antelope Valley, Antelope Valley Foothills, San Gabriel Valley and the Golden State (5) and Antelope Valley (14) freeway corridors.
Those areas could continue to see temperatures reaching as high as 110 degrees, forecasters said.
An extreme heat warning will also be in place through 9 p.m. Sunday for the eastern Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area and the inland coastal region that includes downtown Los Angeles. Those areas are forecast to see heat of up to 98 degrees.
A less severe heat advisory will be in place for Los Angeles County beaches, the Malibu coast and Catalina Island through 9 p.m Saturday, with highs of 90 degrees possible.
A red flag warning of critical fire danger took effect at 9 a.m. Wednesday and will remain in place through 9 p.m. Saturday in the Santa Clarita Valley, San Gabriel Mountains, Antelope Valley foothills and the Golden State (5) and Antelope Valley (14) freeway corridors.
“High pressure aloft over the Four Corners Region will linger through at least Sunday,” according to the NWS. “Showers and thunderstorms will be possible over the Los Angeles and Ventura County mountains, and portions of the Antelope Valley, during the afternoon and evening hours through Monday. A few showers spilling over into the valleys and foothills cannot be ruled out over the weekend.”
The Los Angeles Fire Department has pre-deployed resources in the area in anticipation of the hot and dry conditions that are conducive to wildfires. Gov. Gavin Newsom said state firefighting resources were also dispatched to L.A. County, including 10 fire engines, two water tenders, two bulldozers, one helicopter, two hand crews, thee dispatchers and one Incident Management Team.
Mayor Karen Bass has directed city personnel throughout Los Angeles to take all necessary steps to combat the conditions that will accompany the heat wave.
Los Angeles has opened augmented cooling centers throughout the city and hundreds of locations for relief from the heat.
For locations and hours of operation, visit laparks.org/reccenter and lapl.org/branches.
The city is also opening additional cooling centers that are accessible to people with disabilities and will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the days listed below:
Saturday and Sunday:
— Canoga Park Senior Citizen Center, 7326 Jordan Ave.; and
— North Hollywood Senior Citizen Center, 5301 Tujunga Ave.
On Sunday:
— Chinatown Brnach Library, 639 N. Hill St.; and
— Pacoima Branch Library, 13605 Van Nuys Blvd.