California braces for brutal heatwave
California is bracing for record-breaking temperatures and dangerous fire weather conditions this Labor Day weekend, with the National Weather Service urging people to limit outdoor activity and to stay hydrated.
“Saturday and Sunday will be about 20 to 30 degrees above normal across the entire area,” said Frank Fisher, a NWS meteorologist for the southern part of the state.
“By Monday, we should be 10 to 20 degrees above normal ... but still very warm and dangerous outside,” he added.
Fisher said temperatures are expected to peak to 42.2°C in the Los Angeles area today and to 47.8°C further inland in Woodland Hills.
Excessive heat warnings through the holiday weekend and possibly beyond have also been issued in other western states including Arizona and Nevada.
The warm temperatures in California come as the state is recovering from another heatwave in mid-August and devastating wildfires that have burned over 600,000ha in the last three weeks.
That heatwave also set records, with Death Valley – located near the border with Nevada – recording a high of 54.4°C, one of the hottest temperatures ever measured on Earth with modern instruments.
Weather forecasters said red flag warnings indicating the potential for dangerous fire conditions had been issued in many parts of California for the weekend, notably in the Santa Barbara mountains, north of Los Angeles.
“We have the heat, winds and low humidity,” a perfect cocktail for fires, Fisher said.
“Our big issue with this excessive heat,” he added, “is the fact that it’s a holiday weekend and a lot of people are going out.”
He said the National Weather Service was recommending people refrain from outdoor activities and remain indoors during the day.
Once the sun sets, however, evening temperatures are not expected to bring much relief.
“This is going to be the warmest nights we are going to have in a while,” Fisher said.
And if people are expecting to go to restaurants in the Los Angeles area or other regions, where only outdoor dining is allowed because of the pandemic, they may want to think twice.
“Outdoor dining is not going to work this weekend,” Fisher said.
The situation is not expected to be any better further north – in the Bay Area and beyond – where dangerous hot conditions are also predicted.
“It’s certainly gonna be hot all over,” said Jonathan Garner, a NWS meteorologist for that region.
“In areas like Ukiah, the record of 42.2°C could be exceeded by one or two degrees,” he said, referring to a city about 185km north of San Francisco. — AFP