Weather Cooling Down in RivCo, Flex Alert Shutting Down

High temperatures were expected in Riverside County for the fourth consecutive day Friday and into the weekend but the worse of this week's heat wave is nearly over, forecasters reported.

A flex alert asking residents to cut back on electricity use was set to be shut down 6 p.m. Friday, according to Southern California Edison.

The National Weather Service attributed the sweltering heat to a ridge of high pressure over the southwestern states.

An excessive heat warning remains in effect until 8 p.m. for the inland Empire and the Coachella Valley, with the mercury in Lake Elsinore registering 98 Friday afternoon and expected to climb into the triple digits Saturday.

Daytime highs in the Inland Empire were expected to hover between 98 and 110 degrees -- depending on where in the county it is -- with overnight lows of 68 to 78 degrees, the NWS said.

"Hot days followed by warm and humid nights can limit the body's
ability to keep cool,'" according to an NWS advisory.

"Visiting hikers and campers unfamiliar with intense desert heat are especially susceptible to heat stroke or heat exhaustion. Pets are also susceptible to this heat," the advisory read.

Though the flex alert will be shut down, SCE officials ask customers to continue curtailing use of energy to avoid critical shortages.

Residents were asked to keep air conditioners at 78 and to keep them turned off during peak hours; libraries, movies, malls, swimming pools are desirable alternatives, said SCE's David Song.