RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CA — The hottest week of the summer is alive and well in Southern California, bringing with it wildfire threats, heat-related illnesses and more.
In Rancho Santa Margarita, residents can expect Thursday temperatures ranging from 91 degrees to 93 degrees.
On Friday, temperatures will reach up to 91 degrees, with Saturday temperatures expected to his 92 degrees.
Rancho Santa Margarita residents looking to stay cool can stop by any of the following cooling centers in town:
For detailed information on cooling centers near you, visit Orange County's website.
According to weather experts, the current prolonged heat wave offers no end in sight.
"We've got a pretty strong — especially for this time of the year — area of high pressure that is over parts of Southern California. Right now it centers more over New Mexico and Texas, but it's pretty broad, so we're kind of getting looped into that warmer air, and as we move into the middle and the end of the week, that high pressure system is going to begin to shift west so that we're more under its influence. That's why we're going to see our warmer conditions Wednesday, Thursday and Friday," said Casey Oswant, a meteorologist for National Weather Service in San Diego.
The scorching temperatures triggered heat advisory, which is in effect until at least 10 a.m. Tuesday followed by an extreme heat watch until Friday.
While highs in coastal areas will mainly remain below 90 degrees, overnight temperatures will not drop below the lower 70s, which will especially affect those without access to air conditioning.
According to the National Weather Service, there is some cooling expected on Saturday, but in the past these heat waves have held on a little longer than forecast.
"We'll see some cooling on Saturday but some people probably won't notice because it will still be in the upper 90s to low hundreds left of the mountains, and still above 110 in the low deserts. But there is some indication the end of the weekend, early next week that ridge of high pressure is going to get pushed back to the east, so we may see some more noticeable cooling, that's really at the very end of the forecast period so there's still some uncertainty," said Oswant.
Patch Staffer Corey Washington contributed to this report.
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Rancho Santa Margarita Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.