{"id":161699,"date":"2025-08-20T18:01:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T18:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/161699\/"},"modified":"2025-08-20T18:01:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T18:01:11","slug":"socal-facing-a-triple-threat-extreme-heat-fire-risk-thunderstorms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/161699\/","title":{"rendered":"SoCal facing a triple threat: Extreme heat, fire risk, thunderstorms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As Southern California braces for the most significant heat wave yet this year, <\/a>officials warn that the dangerously hot<\/a> temperatures expected at the end of the week are only one of three major concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a trio of impactful hazards affecting Southern California as we head into the next several days: heat, fire and storms,\u201d said Ariel Cohen, the meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service\u2019s Oxnard office. \u201cEveryone needs to be getting prepared now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Extreme heat will build across the Southwest on Wednesday and is expected to bring near-record temperatures<\/a> to Southern California through the weekend, creating major fire and health concerns. Those threats will be compounded by the possibility of monsoonal thunderstorms that could bring localized flooding, debris flows, destructive winds and lightning beginning Friday. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe dangerous conditions are going to be coming Thursday and sticking around through the first part of the weekend,\u201d Cohen said. <\/p>\n

The weather service has issued widespread extreme heat warnings, and for the mountains and foothills, red flag warnings went into effect Wednesday morning. Temperatures across the Southland are forecast to peak Thursday and Friday, with highs reaching from 95 to 105 degrees everywhere beyond the beaches, and up to 110 degrees in Los Angeles County\u2019s interior valleys and deserts. There will be little relief from the heat overnight.<\/p>\n

\u201cOvernight lows will be above 70 in many areas, including downtown L.A.,\u201d Cohen said. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about significant impacts for anyone susceptible to the heat. Heat-related illnesses are expected to be a major issue, with the potential for fatalities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Los Angeles officials have joined in calls urging people to make plans to stay safe, including having access to air conditioning, rescheduling outdoor activities and having several methods to receive emergency alerts. The city announced it had added four cooling centers<\/a> to its network of libraries and parks that will be open to the public. L.A. County residents can find a list of available cooling centers here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeat causes more deaths in the U.S. annually than floods, storms, and lightning combined. Those most likely to get ill during the heat include older adults, young children, outdoor workers, athletes, and individuals with chronic medical conditions,\u201d said Muntu Davis, Los Angeles County health officer. \u201cIf you or someone around you experiences symptoms of heat stroke or heat exhaustion, such as dizziness, nausea, rapid heartbeat, confusion, or passing out, seek medical help immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n

The excessive and prolonged heat will also create conditions that experts say can fuel extreme and rapid fire growth. Mountains and foothills from San Luis Obispo County south to L.A. County, including the Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys, are under red flag warnings<\/a> from Wednesday through Saturday, which means an increased risk of wildfires. <\/p>\n

\u201cWith a low relative humidity and extreme temperatures, the fire environment will be capable of creating extreme fire behavior,\u201d Cohen said. Though strong winds aren\u2019t in the forecast, some local breezes are expected in the afternoons that could \u201cexacerbate the spread of any plume-dominated fires, and add to the potentially dangerous fire-weather environment,\u201d the red flag warnings said. <\/p>\n

That fire risk could be further exacerbated by possible thunderstorms Friday through Sunday, when forecasts show a 5% to 30% chance<\/a> for the Southland. That monsoonal pattern could bring localized gusty winds, minor flooding, debris flows in burn scars, as well as lightning that could spark fires.<\/p>\n

Area fire departments have said they are prepositioning resources and augmenting staffing. The California Governor\u2019s Office of Emergency Services said it also sent additional firefighting resources to L.A. County.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalifornia is taking proactive steps to get ahead of upcoming fire weather,\u201d Nancy Ward, CalOES director, said in a statement. \u201cBy prepositioning firefighting crews, equipment, and other resources in high-risk areas, we can respond faster and more effectively when needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Extreme heat is also expected to scorch the desert Southwest, with highs in Death Valley reaching up to 121 degrees and Phoenix hitting 112.<\/p>\n

By Friday, the heat wave will expand across much of the state\u2019s interior and farther north with the San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento Valley, parts of the Bay Area and the North Coast interior under heat advisories by Friday, with triple-digit temperatures lasting in some areas through Sunday. <\/p>\n

Unseasonably high temperatures \u2014 and fire risk \u2014 will also be a concern through the weekend for eastern Nevada and southern Oregon. In Coos County, Ore., firefighters are already battling a high-profile fire in one of the world\u2019s tallest trees<\/a>, trying to keep it from spreading and further damaging the Doerner Fir tree, which stood 325 feet tall before the blaze, according to the Coos Forest Protective Assn.<\/p>\n

Bureau of Land Management officials told local news outlets<\/a> that the fire had already caused damage an estimated 50 feet from the top of the tree, which could drop the tree\u2019s position in global rankings.<\/p>\n

Although forecasters say a gradual cooldown should begin by early next week, temperatures will remain elevated \u2014 possibly through the rest of the month for the Golden State. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnomalous heat [is] expected to persist across nearly all of California for the rest of August,\u201d Daniel Swain, a UCLA climatologist, wrote in a recent blog post<\/a>. \u201cWarmer than average temperatures will linger into next week and possibly beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As Southern California braces for the most significant heat wave yet this year, officials warn that the dangerously…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":161700,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[93617,93619,23512,25241,6370,93616,8580,2096,6995,50,93618,93620,2549,15475,11040,67,132,68,2452],"class_list":["post-161699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-states","category-us","tag-ariel-cohen","tag-california-governor","tag-degree","tag-downtown-l-a","tag-extreme-heat","tag-fire-risk","tag-flooding","tag-heat","tag-lightning","tag-news","tag-red-flag-warning","tag-socal-trio","tag-southern-california","tag-temperature","tag-thunderstorm","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-week"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115062406156722544","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161699"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161699\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/161700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}