Heatwave Roasts San Diego; NWS Warns Residents To Take Caution

SAN DIEGO, CA — Yet another heatwave has brought sweltering triple-digit temperatures to parts of San Diego, and the extreme weather is expected to hang on through Labor Day Weekend.

The hot spell and accompanying dry and gusty winds out of the east prompted the National Weather Service to issue a "red flag" wildfire warning for the inland valleys and mountains, effective from 10 a.m. Saturday to 6 p.m. Sunday.

The weather poses an elevated risk for "extreme fire behavior," officials warned.

By early Saturday afternoon, Borrego was at 115 degrees, Alpine 112, Ramona 110, and Valley Center and Jamul 109.

#Ouch! 1 PM temps across #SoCal. The coast is hanging onto the 70s, but you get just inland and temps soar into the triple digits! #CAHeatWave #CAwx pic.twitter.com/k41r5pkcfj
— NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) September 5, 2020

Along the coast, temperatures were in the high 80s, with Oceanside at 84, Encinitas 87, La Jolla 88, San Diego 86 and Imperial Beach 88.

Expected high temperatures along the coast Saturday will be 87-92 degrees with overnight lows 69-77, forecasters said. Inland valley highs will be 108-113 with overnight lows of 74-81. Mountain highs will be 100-105 with overnight lows of 68-76, and desert highs will be 118-123 with overnight lows of 83-88.

Humidity is expected to drop to the 15-20 percent range on Saturday and Sunday with little overnight recovery, according to meteorologists. Winds out of the east are expected to reach sustained speeds of 15-25 mph, with gusts potentially reaching 30-40 mph in the southern end of the county.

Excessive heat warnings, meanwhile, will be in effect in the western valleys, the mountains and the deserts through 8 p.m. Monday; and in coastal areas from 10 a.m. Saturday through 8 p.m. Monday.

To beat the heat, residents are advised to drink plenty of fluids, stay out of the sun during the hottest parts of the day and check on potentially at-risk relatives, neighbors and pets the NWS advised.

Children, seniors and pets should be never be left unattended in a vehicle, as car interiors are able to "reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes," according to the federal agency.

To help residents escape the extreme weather, the county is offering nine air-conditioned cooling centers in Alpine, Borrego Springs, Fallbrook, Lakeside, Potrero, Ramona, Santa Ysabel, Spring Valley and Valley Center.

Due to the coronavirus, mandatory mask-wearing and social-distancing protocols are enforced in the facilities. A full list of the locations, which will be will be open from noon to 5 p.m. daily throughout the Labor Day weekend, can be found here.

The City News Service contributed to this report.