Sweet summer child, it's about to get hot, hot, hot in Southern California.
Triple-digit temperatures are being forecast in the San Fernando and Antelope valleys today and it'll come close to that in the Santa Clarita Valley as well during the fourth day of a heat wave baking Southern California.
Curt Kaplan with the National Weather Service told KFI's Wake Up Call by the Antelope Valley should expect temps pushing 110 or even 112 degrees by next week. He cautioned people to make sure they don't leave any people or pets inside an enclosed vehicle.
"Temperatures inside vehicles even if the windows are partially open, can raise to life-threatening levels."
The real problem, Kaplan said, is smog can get trapped in a pocket of hot air at elevations below about a thousand feet. Officials with the South Coast Air Quality Management District said that ozone would reach unhealthy levels in the Santa Clarita, San Fernando, and San Gabriel valleys.
The poor air quality is expected to last through at least next week.
A mix of partly cloudy and sunny skies are expected for Los Angeles County today. The National Weather Service has forcast highs of 78 degrees Fahrenheit at LAX; 82 in Long Beach; 83 in Avalon; 86 in Downtown L.A.; 87 on Mount Wilson; 91 in San Gabriel and Burbank; 92 in Pasadena; 99 in Saugus; 100 in Woodland Hills; 101 in Palmdale; and 103 in Lancaster.
Forecasters are blaming the heat wave on a strong high pressure system that's sitting over several western states, which is causing temperatures to be around 12 - 18 degrees higher than normal this weekend.
If you're looking to stay cool this weekend, several 'cooling centers' will be available to Southern California residents. More information about where to find them are available in the links below.
Los Angeles County cooling centers http://www.colapublib.org
Long Beach cooling centers http://www.longbeach.gov/
Irvine cooling centers: http://webadmin.cityofirvine.org
Southern California Edison cooling centers in LA, OC, San Bernardino, Riverside and Ventura counties https://www.sce.com
Riverside County cooling centers https://countyofriverside.maps.arcgis.com
San Bernardino cooling centers https://211sb.org