SoCal broiling at night as heat wave offers little cool down
A sweltering heat wave that’s baked parts of Southern California with triple-digit temperatures during the day and unrelenting heat overnight isn’t letting up yet.
Some areas in the Santa Monica Mountains didn’t drop below 95 degrees overnight. Simi Valley lingered in the high 80s and low 90s after dark and much of the rest of Los Angeles County remained in the mid- to high 70s, according to the National Weather Service.
While it’s not uncommon to have high overnight temperatures during heat waves this time of year, it can prove uncomfortable, said Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
“What happens is we get our marine layer squashed so low that really warm and dry layer we have above the marine layer now gets into the populated areas as opposed to being way up in the mountains,” he said. “This time of year when we have these heat waves it’s pretty common to have those high overnight temperatures.”
The punishing heat wave microwaving Southern California is expected to bring triple-digit temperatures to much of the region for the next few days.
The soaring temperatures in Southern California are not unique to this region. International climate officials have confirmed that the summer of 2024 was Earth’s hottest on record. The global average temperature in June, July and August was a record-breaking 62.24 degrees, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Temperatures on Friday are expected to be searing yet again — and even hotter than Thursday — in some parts of Los Angeles County.
The mercury in downtown Los Angeles and the Long Beach Airport is predicted to reach 104 degrees and Los Angeles International Airport is expected to reach 93 degrees. Pasadena and Burbank will really cook at 107 degrees and 115 degrees, respectively. Woodland Hills is expected to reach 118 degrees, Kittell said.
“It’s not a slam dunk, but I expect a record or two to be broken today,” Kittell said.
On Thursday, the mercury climbed to 121 degrees in Indio, Calif., breaking a daily record of 120 degrees that was set during a similar heat wave in 2020. The Burbank Airport tied an all-time high temperature record of 114 degrees that was set in 2018 and 2020.
The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning across much of Los Angeles County, alerting residents of dangerously hot conditions with temperatures up to 115 degrees and overnight lows in the 70s and 80s through Monday night.
“There is a high risk for dangerous heat illness for anyone, especially for the very young, the very old, those without air conditioning and those active outdoors,” the weather service said.
Meteorologists say temperatures could reach 115 degrees in the San Fernando Valley. Burbank, Woodland Hills and Palm Springs could also see triple digits.
Triple-digit temperatures are forecast through the weekend and significant cooling likely won’t be felt until at least Wednesday when temperatures in Los Angeles and surrounding areas are expected to drop to the low 80s and high 70s.
The weather service has also issued a red flag warning for the Santa Monica Mountains, the Santa Susana Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains warning of high fire danger brought on by the continuing heat.
The Line fire, which broke out around 6:30 p.m. Thursday in San Bernardino County, prompting evacuations, continued to burn Friday morning, expanding to more than 500 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Firefighters rushed to evacuate residents in the city of Highland overnight when the flames began racing toward homes. No damage has been reported, and the blaze has no containment. Temperatures in Highland are expected to reach 113 degrees.
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