The End Is Near: Temperatures to Start Dropping Wednesday

The Southland baked for the sixth day of a heat wave today as the threat of wildfires loomed over the region, and utility crews worked to ensure an uninterrupted flow of electricity.

A red flag warning denoting a risk of what National Weather Service forecasters call “explosive fire growth” will remain in effect until 9 p.m. in the mountains and foothills of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

The red flag zone includes the vast and potentially fire-prone Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County and the Ventura and Santa Barbara county portions of the adjoining Los Padres National Forest.

Any fire ignition will have the potential to explode over the mountains “due to hot temperatures, low humidities, relatively light winds, instability and extremely dry fuels,” according to an NWS statement. “If fire ignition occurs, there could be rapid spread of wildfire that would lead to a threat of life and property.”

Adding to the fear of wildfires was the possibility of thunderstorms in the eastern Los Angeles County mountains and the Antelope Valley, according to the NWS. Forecasters noted there is minimal moisture in the air, so any storms that develop would be light on rain while featuring “gusty winds and possible dry lightning.”

Also confronting the region today was what the NWS called “dangerously hot weather,” which prompted the weather service to issue an excessive heat warning that will be in effect until 7 p.m. in the San Gabriel, San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys and the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area in Los Angeles County and parts of Ventura County. 

“The combination of heat and humidity will create a dangerous situation in which heat illnesses are possible, especially for the elderly and youth,” an NWS statement said. “Never, ever leave people or pets in enclosed vehicles, even for a short period of time with the windows cracked open.”

The heat prompted Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers to set a record for peak energy demand Monday -- 6,196 megawatts. Customers topped that record again today, hitting 6,396 megawatts by 2 p.m.

The previous record was 6,177 megawatts set on Sept. 27, 2010. The peak demands over the past two days were nearly double the amount of energy demand experienced on a typical day in Los Angeles, according to General Manager Marcie Edwards.

The DWP urged customers to save energy wherever possible, including by not using large appliances today.

Southern California Edison customers reached 23,055 megawatts on Monday, a high for the year. Edison’s record weekday peak consumption is 23,303 megawatts, set on Aug. 31, 2007.

As a result of the heat wave and the resulting strain on the power system, SCE canceled all “non-essential” maintenance outages to ensure resources would be available to complete repairs.

SCE also activated its Emergency Operations Center in Irwindale, which operates as a centralized coordination point of communications for various activities.

By midday, the temperature in downtown Los Angeles had already reached triple digits. The temperature also topped 100 in Burbank, Van Nuys, Chatsworth and Woodland Hills.

The forecast calls for temperatures to go down Wednesday by several degrees and again on Thursday. Downtown L.A., for example, is forecast to go from a high of 100 today to 91 Wednesday and 83 on Thursday, staying at roughly that level for several days.

--City News Service

PHOTO Image via Shutterstock.