Extreme Heat Warnings Issued For The Southland Before Midweek Cooldown

LOS ANGELES, CA — A cooling trend is in store for Southern California this week, but not before the region swelters under a couple more days of record-shattering heatwave.

The first half of the week will be characterized by extreme heat in the deserts, mountains and valleys before temperatures drop as much as eight degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Wednesday will be the coolest day of the week with the possibility of a prolonged cooling trend past the weekend, forecasters said.

"Two very hot days on tap for Southern California today and Tuesday with a developing possibility for the heat to linger into Wednesday," the weather service said in a statement.

Most of the region is under heat advisories or excessive heat warnings as inland areas continue to experience triple-digit temperatures.

According to the weather service, an excessive heat warning is in place for the Coachella Valley and San Diego County Deserts, where temperatures will surpass dangerous levels reaching 117 degrees Tuesday. Palm Desert is expected to reach a high of 113 degrees on Tuesday.

The Antelope Valley and the San Fernando Valley are also under excessive heat warnings. The high in Lancaster is expected to reach 108 degrees, and the San Fernando Valley will reach 100 degrees on Tuesday, according to the weather service.

In Los Angeles County, highs on Monday and Tuesday are expected to reach 100-107 across the Western San Gabriel Mountains and Highway 14 Corridor.

Along the south coast of California, temperatures are lower in the mid-80s to low 90s in some places, such as Long Beach and Laguna Beach.

The hot start to August comes after a month of record-setting heat across the Southland, the National Weather Service announced Monday. The July 6 and 7 high of 115 in Lancaster and Palmdale shattered records set decades ago by five degrees.

Starting Wednesday, the upper high weakens and moves west and an increased on-shore flow will cool the region down four to eight degrees. The cooling may still not be enough to end heat risk across the far interior, forecasters said, and heat advisories may still be needed.

The cooler upper highs will flatten out for the rest of the week before warming slightly again on Saturday, the National Weather Service said. From Sunday forward, the forecast is more uncertain but is believed to favor a cooling trend.

"There is a fair amount of disagreement on the temperature trends on Sunday. Currently, the ensemble based forecast favors a cooling trend but there is about a 30 percent chance that max temps will not change much at all,” the weather service said.