Temperatures are expected to soar along the U.S. West Coast on Friday and Saturday, the National Weather Service said, warning that “dangerous heat” will likely spread up the West Coast as it intensifies.
Forecasters said temperatures will be 15-30 degrees above average for much of the West Coast Friday, and “numerous record-breaking temperatures can be expected through the next few days,” the weather service said.
Heat watches and warnings are in place across multiple states, including large swaths of California, as well as parts of Nevada, Arizona, Oregon and Washington.
In parts of California and southern Oregon, temperatures could blast into the triple digits, the weather service said. California is expected to experience some of the worst effects of the heat wave on Saturday, forecasters said, with temperatures likely to reach into the 110s.
“Locally higher temperatures into the 120s are possible in the typical hot spots of the Desert Southwest,” it said.
The Los Angeles National Weather Service said on Thursday night that a “Red Flag Warning” was in effect until late Friday night due to “hot, dry and windy conditions.” The warning signifies increased risk of fire danger. The weather service warned residents to use caution with open flames as the dry conditions could fuel the spread of fire.
The heat wave coincides with the Thompson wildfire, which engulfed Butte Country in Northern California this week and forced thousands to flee their homes. Evacuation orders were downgraded to warnings on Thursday.
Over the weekend, the heat wave is expected to shift east to the mid-Atlantic and the Southeast.