Heatwave Arrives In Orange County: High Temps To Reach 95 Degrees

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Expect beach populations to increase this week as an extensive upper high-pressure system settles over Southern California and Orange County. Most cities can expect 3 to 6 degrees of warming on Wednesday, then heating up another 4 to 8 degrees in coastal and valley areas on Thursday. The NWS said that some inland areas will likely have temperatures that are 10 to 15 degrees above normal by Thursday.

A heat advisory will be in effect in Orange County for the Santa Ana Mountains and foothills and Orange County inland areas from 11 a.m. Friday through 9 p.m. Saturday, with temperatures at or near triple-digit levels.

Across Orange County, temperatures will range in the mid-to-high 80s for much of the week, with highs of 89 on Friday and 91 on Saturday, the hottest day of the week. Mountain and foothills communities will see high temperatures of 95 on Friday, Saturday and 90 on Sunday.

Authorities reminded the public to never leave pets or children inside vehicles on days that are even a little warmer than normal, as locked cars can turn into death traps in mere minutes.

Friday will be the hottest day of the week, with temperatures rising another 2 to 4 degrees.

This means highs of 110 to 115 in interior areas, 100 to 105 in the valleys, 90s along interior coastal areas, and 80s at the beaches. Those temperatures are 6 to 12 degrees above normal for the coasts and 12 to 18 degrees above average for the valleys and interior areas.

Forecasters said "only minimal cooling" is expected over the weekend, and the heat will persist into next week.

Increasing onshore flow should eventually cool things down along the coasts and slowly move into the valleys. However, the high-pressure system is expected to persist, and the heat wave "may push deep into next week," according to the NWS.

"The combination of these very hot temperatures, areas of low humidities and possible sundowner winds will lead to fire weather risks," forecasters said.

The forecast for Orange County this week:

Wednesday
Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 85. Light west wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Wednesday Night
Patchy fog after 11pm. Otherwise, increasing clouds, with a low around 65. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Independence Day
Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 85. Light west wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning.

Thursday Night
Patchy fog after 11pm. Otherwise, increasing clouds, with a low around 67. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.

Friday
Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 89.

Friday Night
Patchy fog after 11pm. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 70.

Saturday
Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 91.

Saturday Night
Patchy fog after 11pm. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 69.

Sunday
Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 87.

Sunday Night
Patchy fog. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 67.

Monday
Patchy fog. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 87.

Monday Night
Patchy fog. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 68.

Tuesday
Patchy fog. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 88.