The late-summer heat wave that has baked much of the Southland took a surprising turn Saturday when a lightning and thunderstorm moved into the northern part of Los Angeles County, sparking multiple fires in the Angeles National Forest.
ANF officials reported separate lightning fires southwest of Little Rock, near Table Mountain, an area of Sunset Peak west of Mt. Baldy and near Old Ridge Route south of state Route 138. There was no indication that any of the fires posed an immediate danger.
The National Weather Service issued a special weather statement warning of a strong thunderstorm impacting northeastern Los Angeles County through 11:45 a.m.
Farther south, firefighters knocked down a small vegetation fire in Rancho Santa Margarita that was ignited by a lightning strike, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.
The thunderstorm was expected to pass by the early afternoon, but the foothills of LA County remained under a red flag warning for fire danger until at least 9 p.m. Saturday, and elevated fire conditions were expected until Monday night.
The NWS also predicted a risk of further thunderstorms through Tuesday, especially over mountains and deserts.
Extreme heat warnings were in place until at least 9 p.m. Sunday in the Santa Clarita Valley, western Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, Calabasas, Agoura Hills, San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Mountains, Antelope Valley, Antelope Valley Foothills, San Gabriel Valley and the Golden State (5) and Antelope Valley (14) freeway corridors.
Those areas could see temperatures of over 100 degrees, forecasters said.
A less severe heat advisory was in place for Los Angeles County beaches, the Malibu coast and Catalina Island through 9 p.m. Saturday, with highs of 90 degrees possible.
“Temperatures are definitely trending cooler today, in some areas as much as 4-8 degrees cooler than yesterday at this time,” the NWS said. “However, humidities are up 15-30 percent over yesterday with the monsoon moisture in the area so while it will be cooler, the added humidity will make it feel warmer and more uncomfortable.”
The Los Angeles Fire Department pre-deployed resources in the area in anticipation of the hot and dry conditions that are conducive to wildfires. Gov. Gavin Newsom said state firefighting resources were also dispatched to L.A. County, including 10 fire engines, two water tenders, two bulldozers, one helicopter, two hand crews, thee dispatchers and one Incident Management Team.
Mayor Karen Bass directed city personnel throughout Los Angeles to take all necessary steps to combat the heat wave. Los Angeles has opened augmented cooling centers throughout the city and hundreds of locations for relief from the heat.
For locations and hours of operation, visit laparks.org/reccenter and lapl.org/branches.
The city is also opening additional cooling centers that are accessible to people with disabilities and will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the days listed below:
Saturday and Sunday:
— Canoga Park Senior Citizen Center, 7326 Jordan Ave.; and
— North Hollywood Senior Citizen Center, 5301 Tujunga Ave.
On Sunday:
— Chinatown Brnach Library, 639 N. Hill St.; and
— Pacoima Branch Library, 13605 Van Nuys Blvd.
A gradual cooling trend is expected to begin Monday, with most valley temperatures returning to the mid-to-upper 80s by the end of the week.