World Series opener could be hottest on record as heat wave scorches Southern California

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Sunrises over Santa Fe Dam on Wednesday morning as October heat wave continues across Southern California.

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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A surfer catches a wind-swept wave amid 104-degree temperatures in Huntington Beach on Tuesday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Jim Dodd of Huntington Beach relaxes in the shade under the Huntington Beach Pier as a surfer heads across the beach after riding large Santa Ana wind-swept waves amid 104-degree temperatures in Huntington Beach on Tuesday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Chris Waring of Seal Beach rides a Santa Ana wind-swept wave with his son, Noah Waring, amid 104-degree temperatures in Huntington Beach on Tuesday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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A woman uses a towel for shade while relaxing at the Huntington Beach Pier.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Otis Jewell-Busche, 2, of Atwater Village cools off in Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Johnny Griffin of Long Beach takes in the cool ocean breeze while playing guitar next to the Seal Beach Pier.

(Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

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Nova Burrows, 7, cools off in a fountain in downtown L.A.’s Grand Park.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Los Angeles city and county firefighters work to put out a brush fire at the Hansen Dam Recreation Area in Pacoima.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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Los Angeles city firefighter Tony Acevedo puts water on a brush fire along the Woodley Ave. exit from the 118 freeway in Granada Hills.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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A pedestrian walking by Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles uses an umbrella for shade during the October heat wave.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Tuan Nguyen of Long Beach shoots a video of Tony Tave of Los Angeles performing aerial tricks at Hollenbeck Skate Park in Los Angeles.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Magic, a Staffordshire terrier-pitbull mix, cools off in a puddle of water during a visit to Sepulveda Basin Off-Leash Dog Park in Encino.

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

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Firefighters battle a wildfire in Moreno Valley. Officials warn of “the most dangerous fire weather conditions that southwest Cakifrnia has seen” in years.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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A firefighter keeps watch on a wildfire burning behind homes at Poorman’s Reservoir in Moreno Valley.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Joseph Neksalyan of Tarzana finds a shady spot to relax during a visit to Sepulveda Basin Off-Leash Dog Park in Encino.

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

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George Adjikian, 8 months, and his cousin Abraham Daglian, 4 months, prepare to have their photograph taken by their mothers during a visit to the pumpkin patch at Tapia Brothers Farm in Encino.

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

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With the air already warm, a surfer rides a wave at Surfrider Beach in Malibu on Monday morning.

(Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

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The hot sun reflects off the water as a surfer walks along Surfrider Beach in Malibu on Monday morning. The heat on Monday and Tuesday is expected to flirt with temperature records in places across California.

(Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

By Kate Mather

Oct. 24, 2017 8:25 AM PT

Santa Ana winds continued to blow across the Southland on Tuesday, bringing another day of record-breaking temperatures, red-flag warnings and what could be the warmest World Series game on record, weather officials said.

At 5 a.m., some cities in Southern California had already topped 90 degrees, said Rich Thompson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Those temperatures — 90 in Van Nuys, 91 in Burbank — were a hint of what was to come, he added.

“It’s been a very, very warm morning and that’s going to lead into a very, very hot day,” Thompson said.

That could mean record-breaking heat for the World Series, which opens at 5:09 p.m. when the Dodgers face the Astros at Dodger Stadium. Before today, the hottest World Series game on record was played in Phoenix in 2001, Thompson said, when the Arizona Diamondbacks took on the New York Yankees in 94-degree weather.

Tonight’s forecast? 97 degrees.

Downtown L.A., Burbank and Long Beach were each expected to top out at 104 degrees, Thompson said. Pasadena could hit 106 degrees.

Red-flag warnings were issued for much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with forecasters and firefighters keeping a wary eye on the hot temperatures, low humidity and strong winds.

“Extreme fire behavior is likely if any fire ignition begins … threatening life and property,” read an alert from the National Weather Service. “The public should be very, very careful.”

The winds should start to die off Wednesday, Thompson said, bringing a slight dip in temperatures. The cooldown should continue the rest of the week, which should end with temperatures in the upper 80s or 90s.

“Definitely still warmer for this time of year, but it’ll be an improvement over today,” Thompson said.

kate.mather@latimes.com

@katemather

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