A dangerous heat wave is blanketing California this week (and into next)

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, July 2. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

• What to know about California’s extended heat wave
• The Supreme Court gives Trump broad immunity from prosecution
• Where to celebrate Fourth of July in Southern California
• And here’s today’s e-newspaper

Prolonged, extended and hot: What to know about the heat wave

Get ready, California: A prolonged heat wave is hitting much of the state today and will simmer through the Fourth of July holiday weekend, then linger into next week for some regions. That heat also brings heightened risk of fires — and the potential for power shutoffs aimed to avoid sparking them.

The National Weather Service is warning that dangerously high temperatures will blanket much of Northern California and the Central Valley, along with Southern California’s inland valleys and mountains and southwestern deserts.

Los Angeles County’s coastal valleys and deserts could see highs from 96 to 116 degrees, weather service officials warned. Coastal regions could see temperature into the mid-90s.

Construction workers brave 90-degree temperatures as they build homes in Fontana.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Other expected high temperatures this week include:

• Up to 121 degrees in the Coachella Valley and San Diego County deserts
• 105 to 115 degrees in the Antelope Valley
• A possible peak of 125 for Death Valley
• Over 110 in northern Humboldt County
• Up to 115 in parts of Trinity and Lake counties

Extreme heat may not get the same news coverage as hurricanes or wildfires, but it kills more people than any other weather event.

An analysis by the Associated Press found that heat killed more than 2,300 people in the U.S. last year, setting a record. That figure is likely a major undercount, dozens of experts told AP reporters.

A 2022 heat wave killed an estimated 395 people in California, according to state health officials.

Extreme heat disproportionately affects children and the elderly, people with chronic illnesses, disabled people and those who are pregnant. And of course construction workers, landscapers, agricultural workers and others who work outdoors are at heightened risk of heat-related illnesses.

High temperatures can also make California’s already worst-in-the-nation air quality even more terrible.

“Heat accelerates the formation of certain air pollutants and traps them closer to the ground,” according to the state’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. “This combination increases the risk of respiratory, cardiovascular, and other health effects.”

A new experimental heat risk tool created by the weather service shows the daily forecast risk of heat-related impacts in the state, represented in a color-coded index. Many inland regions are expected to face major or extreme heat impacts, shown in red and magenta, respectively.

The National Weather Service’s HeatRisk map shows much of California at risk of major (red) or extreme (magenta) heat-related impacts as a heat wave hits the West this week.

(National Weather Service )

Extreme heat risks will mean “little to no overnight [temperature] relief,” weather service officials say, and is likely to affect “most health systems, heat-sensitive industries and infrastructure.”

The extreme heat will also prime our mountains and deserts for fires — and our penchant for shooting off explosives around the Fourth of July certainly won’t help. A red flag warning is in effect through Wednesday for the Sacramento Valley and North Bay interior mountains.

The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services has also “strategically prepositioned critical fire engines and personnel” in several northern counties at high risk of wildfires this week.

The heat wave could last beyond the seven days that the National Weather Service currently has forecast. Long-range predictions from the Climate Prediction Center show a 70% to 90% chance that above-average temperatures will continue across the state through at least July 10.

Looking for ways to stay cool and avoid heat-related illness? The key advice from health and weather experts is to stay hydrated, limit outdoor activity during the hottest hours of the day and don’t leave children or pets inside cars, where temperatures can turn lethal in minutes.

Check out these guides from The Times for more resources and advice about heat waves:

• How to stay safe and cool during heat waves
• How to keep cool when the power has been shut off
• State board approves protections for hot workplaces
• How much worse will extreme heat get by 2050? New report outlines worrisome future
• Why poor neighborhoods bear the brunt of extreme heat
• The L.A. Times investigation into extreme heat’s deadly toll

Today’s top stories

Protesters outside the Supreme Court on Monday.

(Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press)

Supreme Court rulings

• The Supreme Court gives Trump broad immunity from prosecution.
• Top 10 Supreme Court rulings of the 2023-24 term.
• The Supreme Court puts off ruling on whether state social media laws violate the 1st Amendment.

Basketball

• No Klay in L.A.: What is the Lakers’ next move?
• Clippers hope to remain competitive with roster in wake of losing Paul George.
• ‘Reality check’: Caitlin Clark 1, Diana Taurasi 0. Rookie’s near triple-double wins over GOAT.

More big stories

• COVID cases keep rising in L.A. County due to FLiRT; Mayor Karen Bass tests positive.
• L.A. population is aging fast. Here’s how it’s dramatically transforming the city.
• L.A. Mayor Karen Bass launches her reelection bid, saying, ‘We cannot afford to stop our momentum.’
• Crews turn a corner with California’s largest wildfire as massive heat wave brings new danger.
• Riders at Disney California Adventure were evacuated from a stopped roller coaster.
• Britain goes to the polls, and a wipeout is in the works. What to know about the election.
• NASA JPL team hopes to give greenhouse gas monitoring satellite ‘unprecedented’ vision.
• A driver wearing a ‘Jason’ mask was arrested with an assault rifle in his back seat in Northern California.
• What’s in the new IATSE deal? Wage increases, AI rules and more.
• A Metro bus was tagged with graffiti in a downtown L.A. street takeover, the second in 48 hours.

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Commentary and opinions

• Mark Z. Barabak: Trump’s Big Lie isn’t just a national scourge. Local candidates are also fighting for democracy.
• Harry Litman: After the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling, can Donald Trump still be tried for Jan. 6?
• Michael Hiltzik: With its ‘Chevron’ ruling, the Supreme Court shows that it thinks it’s smarter than scientific experts.
• Jonah Goldberg: How Democrats’ defense of Biden reminds me of Republicans’ rallying around Trump.
• Steve Lopez: Are you an armchair diagnostician? Your medical opinions about Biden are useless.
• Editorial: July 2 is America’s true date of birth. And rebirth.
• Kevin Baxter: Amid rising MLS popularity, should its teams gamble on bigger stadiums?

Today’s great reads

(Photo illustration by Jim Cooke / Los Angeles Times; Photos via California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)

The Russian mob, the Aryan Brotherhood, and a mysterious double-killing in an L.A. suburb. Prosecutors haven’t revealed how they believe two men with ties to Russian and Israeli organized crime circles collided with two alleged prison gang leaders. But through a review of court and prison records, The Times traced their paths to the night of the killings.

Other great reads

• Move over, pickleball: In this wealthy L.A. neighborhood, another game reigns supreme.
• Why is a Monaco billionaire buying so many properties in Carmel and Big Sur?
• Fecal fears pile up as an L.A. hiking mecca reopens — without half its bathrooms.

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

For your downtime

A patriotic bicyclist cruises down Main Street during the 5th Annual Huntington Beach Locals 4th of July Bicycle Cruise.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Going out

• 🎇 Where to celebrate Fourth of July in Southern California.
• 📲 The Holocaust Museum L.A. launches an augmented-reality app with an assist from Hollywood.

Staying in

• 📖 How a disillusioned Nigerian man’s trek to Europe becomes a test of faith and ambition in Samuel Kọ́láwọlé’s debut novel, “The Road to the Salt Sea.”
• 🧑‍🍳 Here’s a recipe for chopped salad with citrus-soy dressing.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.

And finally ... a powerful photo

Show us your favorite place in California! We’re running low on submissions. Send us photos that scream California and we may feature them in an edition of Essential California.

Fire crews battle a hot spot of the Gorman brush fire in northern Los Angeles County.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

Today’s powerful photo is from Times photographer Jason Armond, from the first major wildfire of 2024 in Los Angeles County.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor and Saturday reporter
Christian Orozco, assistant editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

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