‘Extreme heat advisory’ extended in Southern California: Temperature to soar above 100 degrees in Orange County

Southern California is in for another day of extreme heat, as a heat advisory remains in effect through 8 p.m. Wednesday. The advisory covers inland areas of Orange County—including Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, Garden Grove, Orange, Fullerton, and Mission Viejo—along with the Inland Empire and parts of San Diego County’s valleys and mountains.

Temperatures are expected to soar again on Wednesday. Forecasts show a high of 118 degrees in Palm Springs, 103 in Palmdale, 101 in San Bernardino, and 100 in several other cities, including Santa Clarita, Woodland Hills, Ontario, Lake Elsinore, and Paso Robles. Riverside could reach 98, while it may hit 92 in Temecula, 89 in Anaheim, Escondido, and El Cajon, and 87 in downtown Los Angeles. Irvine could see 83, San Luis Obispo 82, and Santa Barbara 78.

“Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses,” the National Weather Service in San Diego warned. “Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.”

Also Read: Deadly, record-breaking heat wave grips western US

The National Weather Service office in Las Vegas also issued an “extreme heat warning” for Death Valley National Park, the Mojave Desert, and the I-15 corridor leading to Las Vegas, as well as areas near the Colorado River, like Lake Havasu City. That warning runs from 10 a.m. Wednesday through 10 p.m. Thursday. In the Las Vegas Valley, temperatures could climb between 106 and 113 degrees. The heat wave is being driven by a strong high-pressure system sitting over the region.

Along with the heat, there are growing concerns about fire danger. Forecasters say there’s an “increased risk of grass fires, with a potential for rapid spread due to gusty winds, hot temperatures and very low humidities” in areas such as the Grapevine stretch of I-5, the Ventura County mountains, the Antelope Valley, and the Santa Ynez Mountains and foothills down to Santa Barbara’s south coast. Interior valleys in San Luis Obispo County are also at risk.

A fire weather watch has been issued by the weather service in Reno for Thursday afternoon through Friday afternoon. The alert includes Alpine and Mono counties—home to places like Mammoth Lakes and Bridgeport—as well as eastern Lassen County and parts of western Nevada, including Reno and Carson City.

On Tuesday, much of the region already felt the heat. Woodland Hills hit 102 degrees, Chatsworth and Ojai reached 100, Lancaster hit 99, and Palmdale hit 98. Northridge came in at 97, while Van Nuys and Paso Robles reached 95. Burbank hit 92, San Gabriel 91, downtown L.A. 89, and Long Beach 85.

Further inland, it was even hotter. Palm Springs and Death Valley National Park reached 115 degrees, Needles hit 113, Lake Elsinore 100, and San Bernardino 99. Riverside and Chino hit 98, Ontario 97, Yorba Linda 96, and Escondido 94. Anaheim came in at 88, with Vista at 84, John Wayne Airport at 83, and Laguna Beach and Encinitas at 80.

Coastal areas saw cooler temps. Los Angeles International Airport reported a high of 78 on Tuesday, while San Diego and Redondo Beach both reached 77.

A break from the heat is expected to begin on Thursday, which also marks Juneteenth, the federal holiday that commemorates the day enslaved people in Texas were finally freed in 1865.

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