A record-breaking heat wave will scorch Southern California this week, raising temperatures up to 35 degrees above normal for March and heightening concerns about heat-related illness and deaths. <\/p>\n
After a brief reprieve from sweltering temperatures over the weekend, dangerous heat once again descended on the region Monday, bringing a host of warnings from the National Weather Service. Temperatures are expected to peak Tuesday through Friday, with the mercury rising into the 80s along the coast and into the 90s and past the 100-degree mark inland, likely shattering records. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt looks like it\u2019s going to be a historic heat wave,\u201d said Robbie Monroe, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. \u201cThis could be the hottest March heat wave we\u2019ve ever had, depending on how it plays out.\u201d <\/p>\n
The weather service issued a heat advisory starting at 10 a.m. Monday and lasting through 10 a.m. Tuesday. By Tuesday morning, the advisory will become an extreme heat warning that will remain until 8 p.m. Friday for much of the Los Angeles County area including Woodland Hills, East Los Angeles, Thousand Oaks, Beverly Hills, Glendale and Westlake Village. The weather service warns of dangerously hot conditions with temperatures between 96 and 104 degrees. <\/p>\n
Adding to the heat stress, it\u2019s expected to stay relatively warm overnight, with lows in the mid-60s to mid-70s, Monroe said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn fact, it\u2019ll be so warm overnight that they\u2019ll be close to our average high temperatures for March for many areas,\u201d he said. \u201cThe warmest foothills might not even dip below 80 degrees at times, which would be near, if not above, normal high temperatures for some of those areas.\u201d <\/p>\n
The lingering overnight heat significantly increases the risk of heat illness because the body doesn\u2019t have a chance to cool down, leading to cumulative strain, heat exhaustion and even heatstroke, which can be deadly, experts say. <\/p>\n
Heat-related deaths are on the rise in California as climate change has led to more prolonged and severe episodes of extreme heat. A Times analysis in 2024 <\/a>showed that heat has caused or contributed to the deaths of more than 21,500 Americans since 1999. <\/p>\n Unhoused individuals, people who work outdoors, older adults, infants, children, pregnant people and those with chronic health conditions or disabilities are at a greater risk of heat-related health impacts, according to the California Department of Public Health. <\/p>\n However, heat-related deaths are preventable. <\/p>\n