The worst of Southern California’s ongoing heat wave is expected to land Thursday, but relief is not yet in sight. Temperatures will remain toasty over the weekend, and another hot spell is forecast next week.
Temperatures will hit the triple digits in the San Fernando and Antelope valleys on Thursday, while interior regions of Los Angeles County will see temperatures in the 90s, according to the National Weather Service. Lancaster even has a shot at matching its previous daily temperature record of 107 degrees, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Devin Black.
“Temperatures will warm up to 4 to 8 degrees above normal Thursday, especially away from the immediate coast,” the weather service said. “A slight cooling trend is [forecast for] Friday through the weekend but temperatures will remain above normal away from the immediate coast well into next week.”
The sustained hot weather will continue to dry out vegetation, increasing the risk of wildfire starts and worsening conditions around blazes already burning across Central and Southern California, including the state’s largest this year: the 96,106-acre Gifford fire in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
Amid 100 degree temperatures, a brush fire ignited near the community of Piru in Ventura County around 2 p.m. Thursday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The blaze, dubbed the Canyon fire, quickly grew to more than 1,000 acres, prompting evacuation orders in Piru, Castaic, Val Verde and Del Valle and putting residents in neighboring Santa Clarita on high alert. Around 100 firefighters from the Ventura and Los Angeles county fire department were quickly deployed to combat the fire, which was burning at a rapid rate of spread, fanned by onshore winds gusting up to 25 miles per hour, according to Cal Fire and the National Weather Service.
A slight weakening of the high pressure system and an increase in onshore flow Friday and Saturday are expected to bring temperatures down 1 to 3 degrees. However, warmer valleys are still expected to reach 100 degrees. Current models predict that the weather will warm up again on Monday, probably hitting temperatures similar to Thursday’s.
Conditions on Thursday will be even hotter in the Inland Empire and inland areas of San Diego County, where the weather service has issued regional heat advisories through Friday evening. And across Southern California’s deserts, including the Coachella Valley and into Death Valley, an extreme heat warning remains in effect, with highs possible up to 118.
Although temperatures in L.A. County are expected to be just below the heat advisory threshold, residents are still advised to limit strenuous outdoor activity and watch out for signs of heat sickness.
The warming began Wednesday, when Palm Springs hit 116 degrees, Woodland Hills reached 101 and Lancaster topped out at 100.
Amid Thursday’s heat, a brush fire broke out around 2 p.m. near the community of Piru in Ventura County, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The blaze, dubbed the Canyon fire, grew to 600 acres in a little over an hour prompting evacuation orders in nearby communities of Piru, Castiac, Val Verde, and Del Valle and putting residents in neighboring Santa Clarita on high alert.
Around 100 firefighters from the Ventura and Los Angeles County fire department were quickly deployed to combat the fire, which was burning at a rapid rate of spread, fanned by on shore winds, according to Cal Fire.
“We’ll have pretty gusty onshore winds, anywhere from 15 to 25 miles an hour, with gusts to 20 to 40 across the interior locations each afternoon and evening, strongest across the I-5 corridor, Antelope Valley and southwest Santa Barbara County coast,” Black said. “With that, we’ll have an extended period of elevated fire weather risk.”
California is already on pace for the worst wildfire year in recent history, driven by several large fires in Central and Southern California — including the Gifford fire and the devastating January firestorms in Los Angeles County.
As of Thursday morning, the Gifford fire was 15% contained, according to federal officials, after hot conditions and continued fire growth challenged firefighters and triggered additional evacuation orders and warnings for rural communities near the Los Padres National Forest.
Two other large blazes were also still burning in Southern California. The Rosa fire in Riverside County was at nearly 1,700 acres, and the Gold fire had consumed about 1,080 acres in San Bernardino County.
Times staff writer Grace Toohey contributed to this report.