An intense and prolonged July heat wave kept the San Diego area in its sweltering grip Wednesday, generating more potentially health- endangering temperatures in some areas with little relief in the extended forecast.
The oppressively hot conditions, which are due to linger through the weekend, include thermometer readings in the mid-90s to just over 100 degrees in the mountains and up to 119 in desert communities. The National Weather Service issued an extreme-heat warning for those locales until at least 8 p.m. Monday.
In the arid, sun-blasted eastern reaches of the county, even the nighttime lows are expected to be quite warm — remaining in the upper 80s to mid-90s on Thursday and Friday, meteorologists advised.
For coastal and inland-valley areas, where temperatures are expected to climb as high as the lower 90s and 105 respectively, a less urgent NWS heat advisory was scheduled to remain in effect over the same period.
Authorities advise people in the hottest spots to prevent heat-related ill health effects by drinking plenty of non-alcoholic fluids, staying out of the sun during the warmest times of the day, taking shelter in air- conditioned spaces if possible and checking up on at-risk friends, relatives and neighbors.
People are also reminded to never leave children or pets in a parked vehicle for even a minute, as inside temperatures can rapidly reach deadly levels.
Monday and Tuesday should cool a few degrees each, but more temperature-raising high pressure could return near the end of next week, forecasters advised.