Late-Summer Heatwave Overspreads Region
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The last week of summer is bringing the hottest temperatures of the season to the Southland.
With highs already reaching the triple-digit mark in the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys, Inland Empire and beyond on Saturday, the entire region will be gripped by sweltering heat and rising humidity on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday as well. Overnight temperatures bottoming out in the 70s will offer little relief anywhere except the coast, the National Weather Service said.
Weather service forecaster Rich Thompson told City News Service that Monday is likely to be the worst day of the current heatwave.
"We probably won't see much relief in the heat and humidity until Wednesday, and not much even then," Thompson said.
The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for critical fire weather conditions stretching through Sunday morning for the mountains and foothills of Los Angeles County and areas in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties while Orange County was still under an Excessive Heat Warning.
"Poor humidity recoveries and warm temperatures at night will add to the fire danger," the weather service said.
Saturday's highs were expected to top 100 in the valleys and foothills, with Sunday's temperatures another 3 to 5 degrees warmer.
A temperature of 106 degrees was reported at 3 p.m. Saturday in Woodland Hills while it reached 97 in Fullerton. The official high in downtown Los Angeles was a comparatively mild 85.
On Saturday afternoon, CBS2's Art Barron spoke with spectators at a soccer game at Foothills Middle School in Arcadia, where the temperature topped out at over 100.
Parent Jim Lewis said there are ways to make the weather a bit more bearable.
"A lot of extra water, a lot of extra drinks, people just go home and jump in their pools," he said, adding that there is also a heat limit on the soccer field. "Once it hits 104, they usually shut it down."
At the Sparr Heights Community Center in Glendale, one of the many community centers serving as cooling stations for seniors, Barron spoke with Steve Swick, who suffered from heat stroke last year and stopped by for a respite on Saturday.
"Just to cool off and get out of the heat," Swick said. "And have some fun visiting friends."
A variety of heat advisories and warnings have been extended until Tuesday evening.
A heat alert was issued by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, which has a map of cooling centers available at http://bit.ly/BeatTheHeat2014.
The county's interim health officer, Dr. Jeffery Gunzenhauser, noted that "extreme heat such as this is not just an inconvenience, it can be dangerous and even deadly." He urged residents to take steps to remain cool and hydrated.
Other ways to get through the next few days include reducing physical activity; avoiding hot, heavy meals; wearing light, loose-fitting clothing, and wearing sunscreen. Pets, meanwhile, need shade and water.
(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
