Temperatures Headed Toward 100 on Friday

The Southland slipped into the grips of another heat wave today, when temperatures will return to the 90s in some valley areas on their way to the 100s on Friday, National Weather forecasters said.

“The hot conditions will result in an increased risk of heat-related illnesses, especially for the homeless, the elderly, infants, outdoor workers and those participating in outdoor activities,” said a statement on the weather service’s website. “The extended period of hot and dry conditions will also bring elevated fire danger.”

Forecasters said the heat wave, the product of high pressure anchored over the southwestern United States, will peak Friday and begin to retreat Saturday, followed by a drop of five to 10 degrees Sunday.

The NWS forecast partly cloudy skies today and highs of 81 degrees Fahrenheit in Avalon; 82 at LAX; 83 on Mount Wilson; 89 in downtown L.A.; 90 in Long Beach; 91 in Palmdale and Lancaster; 92 in San Gabriel; 93 in Burbank; 94 in Pasadena and Saugus; and 98 in Woodland Hills.

Temperatures will climb significantly Friday -- generally between 5 and 8 degrees -- reaching a high of 97 in downtown L.A. and 103 in Woodland Hills, which tends to be the hottest community in Los Angeles County.

Friday’s temperatures will run 15-20 degrees above normal, said NWS meteorologist Scott Sukup in a telephone interview from his monitoring station in Oxnard, adding that nonetheless, no heat records are expected. Humidity levels Friday will run from the low to mid teens, but, given the expected absence of strong winds, red flag warnings are unlikely to be issued, he said.

-City News Service; Flickr