Temperatures are expected to exceed 100 degrees through Friday in the cities of Riverside and San Bernardino. Make that the 110s for Coachella Valley communities.
Bob Wilson and his dog Teddy stay cool by sitting in the shade of a tree at the Sepulveda Basin Off-Leash Dog Park in Encino on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
David Clarke’s dogs stay cool under the shade of a bench at the Sepulveda Basin Off-Leash Dog Park in Encino on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Joanna Patkowsky’s dog Sonic take a drink of water on a hot day at the Sepulveda Basin Off-Leash Dog Park in Encino on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
David Clarke’s dogs stay cool under the shade of a bench at the Sepulveda Basin Off-Leash Dog Park in Encino on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
A high heat warning sign is placed at the entrance to Vazquez Rocks County Park on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. Temperatures throughout the Santa Clarita and Antelope Valley will continue in the triple digits through at least Thursday. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Mannequins are being shaded by parasols in Van Nuys on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. The record-setting heatwave is expected to peak on Wednesday. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
A man crosses Burbank Boulevard as he runs in North Hollywood on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. The record-setting heatwave is expected to peak on Wednesday. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People cool off at at the Santa Clarita Aquatic Center on Monday, July 8, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People cool off at at the Santa Clarita Aquatic Center on Monday, July 8, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People cool off at at the Santa Clarita Aquatic Center on Monday, July 8, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Visitors to Oeste Park play in the splash pad in La Habra, CA, on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A surfer takes a spill in San Clemente on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 where the heat was kept at bay with a marine layer and a cooling ocean breeze. Surfers also liked that the water was not too cold. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A pair of skaters make their way down a carless Bay Shore Ave. on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Youngsters play in Alamitos Bay on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Beachgoers keep cool in Alamitos Bay on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in Long Beach, where a light breeze made for more comfortable temperatures. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Area resident Sam Rosado walks his dogs Wicket and Maddie across the Colorado Lagoon foot bridge on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in Long Beach, where a light breeze made for more comfortable temperatures. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Holden Emanuel, 4, and his sister, Nora, 3, escaped the heat in Lakewood to play on the sand on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, at the Colorado Lagoon in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Some beachgoers dip their feet in the water while others sit on the sand at Colorado Lagoon on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
People find respite from the heat at Mother’s Beach on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, where temperatures were in the low eighties in East Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
People find respite from the heat at Mother’s Beach on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, where temperatures were in the low eighties in East Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Alejandra Martinez stands among the water fountains at the Lemon Park Spray Pool in Fullerton, CA, on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Alejandra Martinez lies in the water at the Lemon Park Spray Pool in Fullerton, CA, on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Visitors to Lemong Park play in the spray pool in Fullerton, CA, on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Daisy Pertubel, 3, lays in the Lemon Park Spray Pool in Fullerton, CA, on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Edvin Ayala, 11, plays at the Lemon Park Spray Pool in Fullerton, CA, on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Melody Cuenca stands in the water at the Lemon Park Spray Pool in Fullerton, CA, on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Daisy Pertubel, 3, rolls around in the Lemon Park Spray Pool in Fullerton, CA, on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Be careful out there, Southern California. It’s hot. And it’s going to stay hot for a while.
The bottom line amid the top-tier temperatures: Drink plenty of fluids, stay in air-conditioned rooms, don’t leave young children or pets in unattended vehicles, be wary of dirty air and keep watch on your loved ones susceptible to the heat.
Triple-digit heat will continue throughout the week in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, with an excessive heat warning in effect from Tuesday until at least 9 p.m. Friday in the Coachella Valley, Banning and Desert Hot Springs areas. National Weather Service forecasters said temperatures of 115 to 122 degrees are possible.
Air quality is also worrisome. Regulators issued a windblown dust advisory Tuesday in the Coachella Valley and eastern Riverside County, where high winds may result in unhealthy conditions for sensitive groups.
And, completing the hot-weather trifecta, concern about possible wildfires is simmering, too, as endless acres of dry brush from the unusually wet winter has already burned in scattered blazes over the past week.
An excessive heat warning will be in place through 9 p.m. Thursday in the Riverside and San Bernardino county valleys, which include the cities of Corona, Riverside, Moreno Valley, San Bernardino, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana. Those areas could see “dangerously hot conditions” with temperatures ranging from the upper 90s to around 110.
Folks thought that they might get a break this week after a sizzling 10-day stretch, as temperatures cooled on Sunday.
But things quickly heated back up, and according to the NWS, Wednesday will be the hottest day of this hot spell. Temperatures are expected to exceed 100 degrees through Friday in the Antelope Valley, Riverside and San Bernardino areas.
The local Dairy Queen on Magnolia Avenue is a great place to enjoy ice cold deserts and cool off on a warm summer night with family in Riverside on Monday, July 8, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
A family enjoys cool treats at Dairy Queen on Magnolia Avenue on a warm summer night in Riverside on Monday, July 8, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
The local Dairy Queen on Magnolia Avenue is a great place to enjoy ice cold deserts and cool off on a warm summer night with family in Riverside on Monday, July 8, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Brea Perez, 3, enjoys her Dairy Queen sundae with family on a warm summer night in Riverside on Monday, July 8, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Francisco Rosas, left and Amaya Valadez enjoy ice cream outside the Dairy Queen on Magnolia Avenue with dogs Chuew and Pinky on a warm summer night as the line grows to get cool treats in Riverside on Monday, July 8, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
A family enjoys cool treats from Dairy Queen on Magnolia Avenue on a warm summer night in Riverside on Monday, July 8, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Brea Perez, 3, feeds Saul Perez her uncle as they enjoy cool treats at the Dairy Queen on Magnolia Avenue on a warm summer night in Riverside on Monday, July 8, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
A family walks to their car to enjoy cool treats from Dairy Queen on Magnolia Avenue on a warm summer night in Riverside on Monday, July 8, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
A man places an order at the Dairy Queen on Magnolia Avenue on a warm summer night with family in Riverside on Monday, July 8, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
From left Brea Perez, 3, Mieko Perez, 8, Cat Perez, 10, and Pauline Perez enjoy cold treats at the local Dairy Queen on Magnolia Avenue in Riverside on Monday, July 8, 2024. Families come together for ice cream to cool off on a warm summer night under the stars. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Francisco Rosas carries dog treats for his dogs Chuew and Pinky along with his banana split at Dairy Queen on Magnolia Avenue in Riverside on Monday, July 8, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
A Dairy Queen employee works fast to make cool treats for customers at the DQ on Magnolia Avenue on a warm summer night in Riverside on Monday, July 8, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Francisco Rosas enjoys a banana split with his dogs Chuew and Pinky at Dairy Queen on Magnolia Avenue in Riverside on Monday, July 8, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
The local Dairy Queen on Magnolia Avenue is a great place to enjoy ice cold desserts and cool off on a warm summer night with family under a crescent moon in Riverside on Monday, July 8, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
In the desert, highs in Palm Springs topped 11 by 3 p.m. on Tuesday and were expected to reach 121. Similar highs were forecast for Coachella and Indio.
In Los Angeles County, forecasts through the week include highs in the mid-90s in Long Beach, up to 102 in the San Gabriel Valley.
Communities all over the area opened cooling centers around the region last week and most have remained open. Public pools and parks with splash pads are packed.
This heatwave has been a tricky one, experts said, playing out like a daily weather prank — especially near the coast.
Days start off cool, even foggy, according to the National Weather Service, but that phenomenon is precisely what’s making it hotter in Inland areas.
The persistent recent heat is being caused by what’s called an upper-level high pressure system or upper-level ridge, Bryan Lewis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said Tuesday in Los Angeles. The ridge creates sinking air, he said, which brings high temperatures and shrinks the marine layer, keeping that cool fog close to the coast.
Relief from the high temperatures, thankfully, is expected by Saturday.
Health experts urged residents to take care of themselves, stay indoors when they can and stay hydrated.
According to the L.A. County Department of Public Health, when people are exposed to excessive heat, or high temperatures for long periods of time, evaporation slows and the human body must work even harder to maintain a normal temperature, especially for those who are particularly vulnerable like children and elderly people.
Some good news amid the swelter: The California Independent System Operator, which operates the state’s electricity grid, does not have any rotating power outages planned during the excessive heat, Anne Gonzales, spokesperson for CAISO said Tuesday.
“The California ISO grid is currently stable, and we are forecasting sufficient energy supply to cover demand,” Gonzales said. “We continue to monitor the high temperatures throughout California and the West which are expected to persist through this week.”
Current temperatures in coastal areas are not as unseasonably warm as the interior of the state, she added, which is keeping electricity demand lower across the grid and helping maintain system reliability.
But CAISO has issued a Restricted Maintenance Operation that will be in effect through midnight Thursday, July 11. When high electricity demand is anticipated, an RMO is issued to caution utilities and transmission operators to avoid taking equipment offline for routine maintenance, assuring that all generators and transmission lines are available to supply higher loads, according to CAISO.
The worst of the weather seemed to escape much of Orange County on Tuesday.
In Fullerton, families enjoyed the warm, but not stiflingly hot day. Parents at the Lemon Splash Pad in Fullerton where the temperature stayed in the mid-to-high-80s Tuesday afternoon cheered the blue skies as their kids played in the water feature.“It’s not too hot today,” said Adanivia Ayala of Anaheim, a parent of a 9-year-old girl and 11-year-old boy.
“Normally, if it’s hotter, we’d go to the beach. You can’t beat that. But today, it’s nice out here and it’s a blessing the city provides things like this for free to the community. We’re fortunate the temperature feels a little lower than it has recently,” said Tanya Sanchez of Buena Park. “Outside time is really important for my kids. I don’t want them at home all day on the iPad.
Inland Orange County is expected to see temperatures in the upper 80s to mid 90s on Wednesday — Yorba Linda residents should expect a high of about 94, Lake Forest closer to 92. Coastal temperatures in the mid 70s are bound to draw lots of beach crowds.
As he watched his 9-year-old son splash around in the water, Carlos Carrillo, of Anaheim, said his family had already spent the morning hiking in Hillcrest Park.
“When I was younger, I wish I had these moments with my dad,” Carrillo added. “I just enjoy the summertime with my son, because they grow up quick. It feels like just yesterday I used to hold him in one hand.”
