LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Temperatures are expected to spike upward across the Southland this weekend, reaching triple-digit territory in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys.
The higher heat is 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.
Higher heat always elevates the danger of wildfires, Bruno said, although conditions this weekend will not feature high winds or excessive dryness.
Friday's high in downtown L.A. was 82 degrees at noon. It is expected to rise to 90 degrees today, then begin a slow retreat on Sunday, when it's expected to be 89 degrees. By Thursday of next week, the forecast calls for a high of 84 degrees.
The warming trend is more pronounced in the San Fernando Valley. Woodland Hills reached a high of 97 Friday -- a 5-degree increase over Thursday's high -- and is expected to hit 103 today before dropping to 98 on Sunday. The Antelope Valley will be in the low 100s through today, which is not at all unusual for that desert region.
Similar conditions are forecast in the Santa Clarita Valley, with a high of 96 recorded Friday in Saugus, rising to 101 today. But in spite of the spikes, no heat records are expected, Bruno said.
Higher temperatures are also expected in inland Orange County, although the increases will be small.
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