Several more days of dangerous heat are forecast across much of California, continuing to spur wildfire concerns, but a shift in weather patterns could bring some relief by midweek.
The ongoing heat wave is expected to peak Monday and Tuesday in Southern California and slightly later for residents farther north.
The majority of the Southland will remain under heat advisories through late Tuesday, with inland highs expected to be 95 to 110 degrees and overnight lows dropping only into the 70s and 80s, the alerts said.
“There is a high risk for dangerous heat illness for anyone, especially for the very young, the very old, those without air conditioning, and those active outdoors,” the heat warnings said.
A few daily records were set Sunday as temperatures soared, including in Ramona, which hit 102 degrees, and in Camarillo, which topped out at 86 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Las Vegas shot up to 112 degrees Sunday — its 31st day over 110 degrees, the most days in any year on record.
But by Wednesday, the high-pressure system driving the heat across Southern California will begin to shift eastward, allowing for an “increase in onshore flow, leading to an earlier and stronger sea breeze,” said Robbie Munroe, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Oxnard.
That incoming change — “nature’s air conditioning,” Munroe said — means that “by Wednesday, most areas, especially away from the coast, will be five to 10 degrees cooler than they were for Tuesday.”
The heat will linger slightly longer in Central and Northern California, with highs peaking Tuesday and Wednesday.
An excessive heat warning will go into effect for much of Central California on Tuesday and Wednesday, with “dangerously hot conditions,” the warning said. Highs are expected up to 108 degrees across the San Joaquin Valley, with lows in the 70s.
In the Bay Area, the interior South Bay and Central Coast will be under a heat advisory Tuesday, with highs forecast into the low 100s.
The hot and dry conditions remain a threat for crews battling several fires across California, as well as a concern for any new fire starts, Munroe said.
“There’s a lot of instability … that’s related to how hot it is,” Munroe said. “That helps to ventilate [a fire] and can help it grow more quickly; it can create erratic and gusty winds around the fire.”
Where the historic Park fire continues to grow in Butte and Tehama counties, fire officials said Monday morning that weather remains a challenge.
“Hotter weather, drier conditions, and increased wind speed contributed to increased fire activity,” the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection wrote in its Monday update. “Highs will reach the lower 100s today while the minimum relative humidity will dip to the lower to mid-teens. Winds could gust to the near 20mph range in the afternoon.”