Scorcher Of The Summer Is Coming To SoCal With Extreme Fire Risk And Life-Threatening Temperatures

LOS ANGELES, CA — It's the heat wave Southern California has been bracing for all summer. The "most significant" scorcher of the summer is expected to arrive in the Southland by midweek, bringing extreme risk for heat illness and "highly volatile" fire-weather, the National Weather Service warned.

An Extreme Heat Watch and Fire Weather Watch will take effect on Wednesday as a major heat wave settles over much of Southern California. The significant warmup is expected to last through Saturday, with many inland areas reaching triple-digit temperatures, forecasters said Monday

"Expect temperatures to soar well over 100 degrees over interior areas, locally reaching near 110 degrees over some mountain valley and desert locations," the NWS wrote.

Residents are urged to prepare to swelter and for the possibility of fires.

"Now is the time to adjust any plans for strenuous outdoor activities in the valleys and mountains to the cooler morning hours or for another week," NWS officials in LA County wrote on Monday. "If you live in a high fire danger area in the mountains or foothills, review your evacuation plans and route and stay tuned to your local emergency officials."

Here's the Thursday forecast across many cities in SoCal:

• Banning: 102 degrees
• Woodland Hills: 108 degrees
• Palm Desert: 112 degrees
• Temecula: 94 degrees
• Joshua Tree: 105 degrees
• San Diego: 78 degrees
• Santee: 91 degrees
• Carlsbad: 75 degrees
• Mission Viejo: 88 degrees
• Newport Beach: 76 degrees
• Santa Monica 79 degrees
• Lake Forest: 90 degrees
• Long Beach: 88 degrees
• Los Angeles: 94 degrees
• Culver City: 85 degrees
• Pasadena: 100 degrees
• Hollywood: 95 degrees

"Stay hydrated and avoid the midday sun," NWS forecasters wrote on X Monday. "Dangerous heat is possible for the latter half of this week. Know the signs of heat illness before the onset of the hot weather."

There’s also a slight chance of thunderstorms in the deserts and lower mountains of San Diego County from Thursday through Saturday, in Los Angeles County on Friday and Saturday, with potential showers and thunder possible in Riverside County on Sunday.

Forecasters warned that lightning strikes could spark new fires. Rising heat and unstable air could also cause flames to grow quickly, creating towering smoke clouds known as pyrocumulus, which are often linked to explosive fire behavior.

Forecasters say extremely dry vegetation in the mountains and foothills of Los Angeles and Ventura counties is driving heightened concern over fire danger.

Weather officials compared the upcoming fire-weather conditions in Los Angeles County to the Station Fire in 2009, the Bobcat Fire in 2020 and the Bridge Fire in 2024, all of which burned large parts of the Angeles National Forest.

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In those cases, forecasters said even without the strongest winds, extreme heat and unstable air fueled explosive fire growth. Officials warned that similar conditions could develop this week if new fires ignite, with sudden wind shifts from distant thunderstorms also posing a risk.

To best prepare for the possibility of wildfires, check out CalFire's evacuation guide here.

The warning comes after California got only a brief break following another heat wave that eased early last week. In Southern California, a 96-year-old record was broken in the Coachella Valley over the weekend.

So far, August's weather forecasts have come in stark contrast to July, which looked a bit more like spring than summer for the month, with gray skies, cool temperatures and a stubborn marine layer hanging on across the region.