Southern California will remain in the grips of an extended heat wave this week, with some areas facing elevated risks of wildfires due to the hot weather, wind and low humidity.
A red flag warning of critical wildfire conditions will be in effect from 10 a.m. Tuesday to 3 p.m. Friday for the San Gabriel Mountains and the Golden State (5) and Antelope Valley (14) freeway corridors in northern Los Angeles County.
The Los Angeles Fire Department announced Monday it was augmenting staffing and pre-positioning personnel and resources throughout Los Angeles County to ensure rapid response to wildfires.
National Weather Service forecasters warned of temperatures topping 100 degrees in some lower elevations, combining with occasionally gusting winds in the afternoons and early evenings and humidity levels falling as low as 10%.
“An extended period of very hot and dry conditions will bring widespread elevated to brief critical fire weather conditions away from the immediate coast through this weekend,” according to the NWS. “The combination of triple digit temperatures, very deep mixing heights of 12,000 to 20,000 feet, locally gusty winds, low humidities, and fuels approaching critical levels will bring the highest risk of large plume dominated fires with rapid spread in the interior mountains and adjacent foothills, as well as the Cuyama Valley, resulting in the Red Flag Warning issuance Tuesday through Friday.
Forecasters said the affected areas could see humidity levels fall as low as 8%, with poor overnight recovery and locally gusty northerly winds. The NWS noted that similar weather and fuel conditions have accompanied major wildfires in the region, including the Bridge, Bobcat and Station fires.
In response to the critical fire danger conditions, Southern California Edison announced the possibility of Public Safety Power Shutoffs for nearly 4,000 customers in Los Angeles County, mainly in the area near Malibu and the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area and in northern areas such as Castaic and Sandberg. The shutoffs are precautionary power cuts implemented during high-fire danger conditions in an effort to prevent blazes from being sparked by energized electrical lines and equipment.
According to the NWS, temperatures on Tuesday are expected to be up as much as 5 degrees over Monday, while overnight lows will remain elevated, cooling only into the low to mid 70s in some areas.
Downtown Los Angeles set a record Monday by reaching 98 degrees, breaking the old record for the date of 96 set in 1931. Long Beach reached 97 degrees, topping the 2010 record of 95 degrees.
Orange County will also be experiencing high heat. Anaheim reached 98 degrees on Monday, tying a record set in 2010. Santa Ana reached 100 degrees Monday, tying the record set in 1969.
Local health officials urged people to drink plenty of fluids, stay in air-conditioned rooms, stay out of the sun during the hottest parts of the day and check up on relatives and neighbors.
The public was also urged to never leave children or pets in parked vehicles for even a minute, as temperatures inside vehicles can reach deadly levels in virtually no time.