LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Temperatures will spike today and Saturday, reaching triple-digit territory in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys this weekend.
The higher heat will be the product of an upper-level high pressure system building off the coast, a weakening of onshore flow and an increasingly shallow marine layer, said National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Bruno.
There is nothing abnormal about the conditions developing, Bruno said. Higher heat always elevates the danger of wildfire, he said, although conditions today and over the weekend will not feature high winds or excessive dryness.
The high in Downtown L.A. today is forecast to be 87 degrees, around 10 degrees higher than yesterday, according to an NWS 7-day forecast. It will rise to 90 Saturday, then begin a slow retreat on Sunday, when it's expected to be 89. By Thursday, the high in Downtown L.A. will be 84.
The warming trend will be more pronounced in the San Fernando Valley. Woodland Hills should reach a high of 98 today -- a 6-degree rise over Thursday's highs -- and 103 Saturday before reverting to 98 on Sunday. The Antelope Valley will be in the low 100s from today through Sunday, which is not at all unusual for that desert region.
Temperatures today will be 3-6 degrees higher than normal in the San Fernando Valley, and 8-10 degrees above average on Saturday. Similar conditions are forecast in the Santa Clarita Valley, with a high of 97 expected today in Saugus, rising to 101 Saturday. But in spite of the spikes, no heat records are expected, Bruno said
Higher temperatures are also expected in inland Orange County, although the increase will be small. Sunny skies are expected in Orange County today, along with highs of 74 in San Clemente; 77 in Newport Beach and Laguna Beach; 84 in Irvine; 86 in Anaheim; 87 in Fullerton and Mission Viejo; and 90 in Yorba Linda, one of the county's warmest communities, rising to 96 Saturday and falling back to 94 on Sunday.
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