Record-breaking heat expected to hit Southland as wildfires burn
An airplane makes a fire retardant drop on a burning hill near in a fire that burned nearly 2,000 acres in northern San Diego County in May 2014. A 14-year-old girl convicted of starting the fire was sentenced Wednesday to 400 hours of community service.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)Searing temperatures are expected to peak Wednesday across Southern California as firefighters gird themselves for yet another day of extreme fire danger.
The dry, hot, windy conditions have been fueling fast-moving brush fires in San Diego and Santa Barbara counties that have so far burned hundreds of acres and forced mandatory evacuations in both areas.
Record-breaking temperatures are expected in some inland areas, where the mercury could hit 100 to 104 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. The beaches will see temperatures in the mid-90s, forecasters said.
Adding to the fire danger Wednesday will be strong Santa Ana winds, with gusts of up to 50 mph in the mountain passes and 40 mph in the valleys, the weather service warned. A red-flag warning remains in effect through Wednesday evening.
Similar conditions in San Diego County fanned the Bernardo fire to more than 800 acres Tuesday evening, prompting evacuation calls to thousands of homes and businesses. In Santa Barbara County, the Miguelito fire near Lompoc swelled in size Tuesday afternoon to about 700 acres, prompting mandatory evacuation orders for 1,200 homes and businesses.
The heat will only ease by a few degrees on Thursday as the high-pressure system over the region begins to weaken, the weather service said. By Friday, temperatures are expected to start dropping into the upper 80s to mid-90s inland and around 80 degrees at the beaches.
For the weekend, expect temperatures in the 80s inland and around 70 degrees at the beaches, forecasters said.
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Jason Wells no longer works for the Los Angeles Times. Previously, he covered regional breaking news on the L.A. Now desk. Prior to his current assignment, he was managing news editor for Times Community News North. He’s a Central California native and graduated from San Diego State University.
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Sept. 21, 2024