United States

Extreme Heat with Extreme Fire Danger

September 28, 2012; 12:32 PM

Yesterday my posting was about the upcoming heat wave for California. There is little change in that other than to say I think many places in Southern California are going to be even a little hotter. Even next Wednesday temperatures will be well above normal though probably not as hot as the hottest two days of Monday and Tuesday. With the high temperatures also will come very low humidity levels. By Monday and Tuesday afternoon relative humidity levels will be in the single digits to teens. This will create an extreme fire danger to go along with the dangerous heat. As always plan you activities accordingly. It is not advisable for anyone to overexert themselves from the middle morning hours into the early evening when it is the hottest. This is especially true for the young and older population as they cannot regulate their body temperatures as well. Also, please take care of your pets. If they are outside, pets make sure there is plenty of fresh water and can get in the shade. If at all possible bring them inside.

Here are the expected temperatures for the period with some minor revisions from yesterday.

In Southern California:

High temperatures Saturday will rise to well into the 80s to lower 90s for metro coastal cities and are well into the 90s to near 100 for the valleys. Sunday gets even hotter with highs 90s for most of the coastal cities and 100 to 105 for the valleys. Monday and Tuesday expect mid to upper 90s to low 100s for much of the coastal plain and 104-109 in the valleys. Some record temperatures will be set. Wednesday will probably be only 5-7 degrees lower than Tuesday, well above normal.

Central Valley:

Highs on Saturday are going to be generally in middle 90s Saturday then upper 90s to low 100s Sunday. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, highs are going to be 100-105. Records will be challenged Sunday through Wednesday.

Central Coast and Bay Area:

Coastal areas warm to the 70s to low 80s by Sunday with mid 80s to mid-90s for coastal plain cities to the East and North Bay regions. Coastal Valleys are likely to heat into the low 100s by Sunday. Monday will be a hot day with 70s most beaches, 90-101 coastal cities, and 102-107 coastal valleys with temperatures not changing much Tuesday. Wednesday will have weak onshore flow return so there will be some cooling, 5-10 degrees worth.

The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of AccuWeather, Inc. or AccuWeather.com