LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Special high-heat alerts issued by the National Weather Service in connection with the region's heat wave will expire today but the hot weather will persist.
If not extended, an excessive heat warning issued last week by the National Weather Service will be in effect until 9 tonight in the San Fernando, Santa Clarita, San Gabriel and Antelope valleys, as well as the San Gabriel and Santa Monica mountains. In inland Orange County and the Santa Ana Mountains, the warning will be in effect until 10 p.m. A less serious heat advisory will be in effect until 9 p.m. in the Los Angeles coastal zone -- beach cities, metropolitan Los Angeles, downtown Los Angeles and the Hollywood Hills.
But hot, hazy conditions will continue through the end of the week with very warm overnight low temperatures and only slight cooling into the weekend, according to the weather service.
Woodland Hills was the hottest spot in Los Angeles County Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service, with the high reaching 110, a record for Aug. 19. The previous record was 109 set in 1992.
The 109-degree high at Palmdale tied the record for this date set in 1950. The high for this date was also tied at UCLA, where the temperature reached 90, matching the record set in 1990.
Sunny skies were forecast in L.A. County today, along with highs of 83 degrees at LAX; 87 in Avalon; 90 in Long Beach; 91 in Downtown L.A.; 99 in San Gabriel; 100 in Burbank; 102 in Pasadena; 106 in Saugus; and 107 in woodland Hills, Palmdale and Lancaster. Highs will be marginally lower Friday and continue to dip over the coming days, but remain in the mid to high 90s and low 100s until at least Wednesday.
Sunny skies were forecast for Orange County, where today's highs will be 80 in San Clemente; 81 in Newport Beach; 82 in Laguna Beach; 88 on Santiago Peak; 91 on Ortega Highway at 2,600 feet; 93 in Fullerton, Irvine and at Fremont Canyon; 95 in Mission Viejo; and 96 in Anaheim and at Trabuco Canyon. Highs will be up and down over the coming days and will be between 1 and 5 degrees below today's levels next Wednesday.
Several cooling centers remain open across Los Angeles County for those without air conditioning, but their capacity was limited due to social distancing requirements amid the coronavirus pandemic. Their locations can be found at lacounty.gov/heat.
Information about cooling center in Los Angeles can be found by calling 311 or visiting laparks.org/emergency/cooling-center-activation.
A statewide Flex Alert was in effect again Wednesday, beginning at 2 p.m. in hopes of getting a jump on power-cutback efforts. It continued until 9 p.m., according to the California Independent System Operator, which manages the state's power grid.
There were no rotating power outages, which the ISO credited to consumer conservation, imported energy and increased wind production. Nonetheless, residents are being asked to use air conditioning early in the day and set thermostats no lower than 78 in the afternoon and evening hours, while avoiding the use of major appliances until the evening.
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