Southern California was bracing Monday for a heat wave expected to bring triple-digit temperatures to much of the region this week.
Temperatures are expected to rise throughout the week due to weak offshore winds and a heat dome over the southwestern United States, before peaking on Thursday and Friday. Parts of the Los Angeles basin could reach 113 degrees by the weekend, while the mercury could climb to 119 in the Coachella Valley.
“We're already in the warmest time of year climatically, and we're going to be 10 to 15 degrees above normal in almost every area, from the beach to the deserts,” said meteorologist Ryan Kittell of the National Weather Service's Oxnard office.
Labor Day was already scorching in many communities, with forecasts for the San Gabriel Valley to hit 100 degrees and the western San Fernando Valley to see temperatures as high as 103. Los Angeles neighborhoods closer to the water would enjoy relatively milder conditions in the 80s and 90s.
Woodland Hills, traditionally the hottest spot in Los Angeles, was expected to see temperatures as high as 109 degrees on Tuesday, 110 on Wednesday and 113 on Thursday before falling slightly to 111 on Friday.
In Santa Clarita, temperatures were expected to soar from an uncomfortable 95 degrees on Monday to a sweltering 106 degrees on Thursday. In Palm Springs, Labor Day temperatures of 107 to 111 degrees would give way to temperatures of 114 to 118 degrees on Thursday.
Dangerously hot conditions were affecting a swath of the country, including Nevada and Arizona. Kittell, of the National Weather Service in Oxnard, said that because days are shorter than in June and July, desert areas are getting less sun and, as a result, there are fewer temperature differences between them and coastal communities.
He said people who live near the beach and don't have air conditioning may not be prepared for the heat.
“Make plans now for how you will stay cool,” Kittell said.
Temperatures will drop slightly over the weekend, but it is unclear when the heatwave will abate.
As uncomfortable as it may be, this week's heat is not expected to break records. The record for the first week of September was set in 2020, when temperatures reached 121 degrees in Woodland Hills.
