A late summer heat wave continued to drive up temperatures and deliver unsettled weather conditions to much of the Southland Tuesday, with heat advisories extended into Wednesday.
“Monsoonal moisture will remain over the region through at least Wednesday, bringing risks of strong winds, brief heavy downpours, lightning, and fire starts,” according to the National Weather Service.
Storm activity moved into parts of eastern Los Angeles County Tuesday morning, with reports of thunder booming over parts of the San Gabriel Valley. Forecasters said the threat of storms will linger into Wednesday thanks to the unsettled conditions, but mainly in mountain areas, the Antelope Valley and eastern San Gabriel Valley.
Heat advisories issued by the NWS that had been expected to expire at 6 p.m. Tuesday were extended until 6 p.m. Wednesday for the Santa Clarita Valley, Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, Calabasas, Agoura Hills, San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley and the inland coastal area including downtown Los Angeles. Forecasters said temperatures in those areas will range from 92 to 102 degrees.
A heat advisory was still scheduled to expire at 6 p.m. Tuesday for the western San Gabriel Mountains and the 5 and 14 freeway corridors.
Los Angeles city officials said hundreds of locations were open for relief from the heat, including parks and libraries. Residents can visit laparks.org/reccenter, lapl.org/branches or call 311 for the location and hours of operation for cooling centers.
A slight cooling trend is expected beginning Thursday, with temperatures likely dropping around 5 to 7 degrees the following weekend.
Thousands of people hit the beach to escape the heat on Labor Day.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health urged residents to take precautions to avoid heat-related illness such as heat exhaustion, heat stroke and cramps. Officials warned the public to avoid strenuous outdoor activity, drink plenty of fluids and to check on those at risk for heat-related illness, such as people who are sick or have chronic conditions, older adults and pregnant women.
The public was also reminded to never leave children and pets in a vehicle without air conditioning on for even one minute, as vehicle temperatures can quickly rise to deadly levels.