Goodbye rain, hello heat wave: L.A. area temperatures to hit the 90s

Hot, dry weather is expected to return to Southern California this week with temperatures hitting 90 degrees in some areas by Wednesday, forecasters said.

The heat is expected to peak downtown and in the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys Wednesday and Thursday. And despite the recent rain, low humidity levels will create dangerous fire conditions, National Weather Service meteorologist Rick Thompson said.

“There’s definitely an elevated fire risk,” Thompson said. “The effects of the rain from Friday and Saturday are going to get less and less and the conditions are going to get worse throughout the week.”

The brisk, rainy weather Angelenos enjoyed over the weekend was a “psychological boost” for many but offered little if any long-term help for the drought-stricken state, he added.

Over the next 10 days, Southern California will likely see occasional wind advisories from hot, blustery Santa Ana-like winds, Thompson said.

California experienced its warmest first nine months of the year in 2014 by average temperature, according to the National Climatic Data Center. October figures were not yet available. The entire state, meanwhile, is experiencing some level of drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

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