Welcome to summer, SoCal.
High temperatures and monsoon humidity threaten to make things warm and sticky across the South, with a 10% to 20% chance of thunderstorms developing late Saturday and into Sunday, according to Carol Smith , meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
A excessive heat warning remains in effect for much of the inland communities in the region between Santa Barbara and San Diego counties this weekend. In Los Angeles County, highs in the Antelope Valley are expected to top 105 degrees, with other inland valleys between 90 and 100, the Los Angeles Basin between 80 and 90, and the beaches between 70 and 80.
If storms materialize, beachgoers in particular will want to take the threat seriously and seek shelter indoors, Smith said. The open pavilions found in many parks do not offer adequate protection from lightning, she said.
Temperatures could possibly reach over 100 degrees in Woodland Hills and 107 degrees in Lancaster and Palmdale. Residents are urged to take extra precautions around vulnerable friends and family, especially young children, the elderly and people with serious health conditions.
Under those conditions, the temperature inside parked cars can become lethal in just a few minutes, Smith said, so it would be a bad idea to leave pets in the car while you run to the store to do some shopping.
When the valleys warm up, many people make the mistake of thinking that the mountains will be cooler and that it is a good time to go hiking. Not so, Smith said: It can get even hotter up there. If you go, leave the pets at home; Dogs struggle a lot with the heat, especially when there is little shade.
Also, get up early or at dusk, carry plenty of water and wear light-colored clothing. “You really have to take this seriously,” Smith said.
California's summer is off to a strong start after an explosion of wildfire activity across the state this week, forcing evacuations and burning several homes, businesses and bone-dry hillsides.
Hazardous weather conditions In the last days of spring before Thursday – strong winds, low humidity and high temperatures – fueled the flames from Los Angeles County to Colusa County, north of Sacramento, with more than 30 wildfires, including two of the largest in the state this year, each exceeding 15,000. acres in a matter of hours, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
He early rise of wildfires is raising new concerns about what the rest of 2024 will bring, especially with the hottest months ahead and Another heat dome forecast for inland California this weekend.
On the last full day of spring, Wednesday, wildfires had burned nearly 90,000 acres in California, compared to just 5,863 acres at the same time last year, according to Cal Fire data. About half of this year's acreage burned last week.
