Advertisement

Heat to Do a Temp Job on Labor Day Weekend

Share
Times Staff Writer

Temperatures are expected to soar well past 100 degrees in the valleys and foothills of the Los Angeles Basin over the long Labor Day weekend, bringing an extreme fire danger with them.

The beaches should be 20 to 30 degrees cooler, according to the National Weather Service.

“It looks like a great weekend for those of us who like the heat,” said Bonnie Bartling, a weather specialist with the National Weather Service.

And you can add the possibility of humidity to the high temperatures. That’s because remnants of Hurricane John are expected to move from Baja to the northwest over the weekend, bringing large amounts of moisture to Southern California on Labor Day and Tuesday. There will be a good chance of showers and thunderstorms over the mountains and deserts, with a slight chance of showers and thundershowers even in the coastal areas.

Advertisement

The weather service forecast calls for a high-pressure system to build over Southern California, pushing temperatures in the valleys, the lower mountains and the Antelope Valley to between 95 and 105 degrees in the afternoon, with the hottest locations reaching 108 degrees. The hot weather inland is expected through Labor Day.

The weather service issued a red-flag warning for the mountains of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties through Sunday. Such a warning means that critical fire weather exists, including strong winds, low relative humidity and high temperatures.

Because of Hurricane John, there is a slight chance of a few thunderstorms in the mountains Saturday and Sunday, due to moisture moving ahead of the tropical system, the weather service said.

But the hurricane’s path was still uncertain, as was the amount of rainfall that could be expected.

The weather service said flash flooding is possible, especially near recent burn areas. Health officials urged residents to protect themselves from the heat by wearing loose-fitting clothes and drinking lots of water. Officials also reminded people not to lock children or pets inside vehicles, even briefly.

michael.kennedy@latimes.com

Advertisement
Advertisement