An Extreme Heat Watch covers a wide swath of Southern California, with forecasters warning of a long-duration heat wave that could push valley temperatures into the upper 90s and 100s.
The National Weather Service offices in San Diego and Los Angeles/Oxnard have both issued watches covering the coast, inland valleys and mountains.
San Diego, Riverside and Orange Counties
NWS San Diego has an Extreme Heat Watch in effect from Friday morning through Wednesday evening.
The watch covers San Diego County’s coastal areas and valleys, the Inland Empire, San Bernardino and Riverside County valleys, the Santa Ana Mountains and foothills, and both coastal and inland Orange County.
Cities included are San Diego, Chula Vista, Escondido, Oceanside, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ontario, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Irvine and Huntington Beach, among many others.
Forecasters say high temperatures could reach around 90 near the coast and climb to the upper 90s to upper 100s in the valleys on the hottest days.
Overnight lows won’t offer much relief either, with coastal and western valley areas warming into the low to mid 70s through the weekend and into next week.
NWS San Diego flagged the coming warm-up as the current cooler pattern wraps up.
The office had been tracking the setup for days as confidence grew in a significant warm-up.
Los Angeles and Ventura Counties
NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard has a separate Extreme Heat Watch in effect from Friday morning through Thursday, October 8.
This watch covers the coast and valleys of both Los Angeles and Ventura counties, including the Santa Clarita Valley, the San Fernando Valley, the San Gabriel Valley and the Malibu and Ventura County coastlines.
Cities covered include Los Angeles, Long Beach, Santa Monica, Pasadena, Burbank, Glendale, Santa Clarita, Thousand Oaks, Oxnard, Ventura and Simi Valley.
Forecasters say temperatures could reach up to 90 at the coast and as high as 105 in the valleys.
The office warns that very hot temperatures are likely to continue into the second week of October, and the watch could be extended.
A Long-Duration Heat Wave
Forecasters describe this as a long-duration heat event, expected to build late this week and continue through much of next week and into the following weekend.
The HeatRisk outlook shows Moderate or greater risk for the coast and valleys, rising to Major to Extreme HeatRisk for inland coastal areas and the western valleys.
Safety Reminders
Residents are urged to drink plenty of fluids, stay in air-conditioned spaces when possible, and stay out of direct sun during peak afternoon heat.
Check on relatives, neighbors and anyone without reliable air conditioning, especially older adults and young children.
Never leave children or pets in parked vehicles. Car interiors can reach lethal temperatures within minutes, even with the windows cracked.
For live updates, follow NWS San Diego and NWS Los Angeles on X.
