SoCal heat wave: Triple-digit temperatures, fire weather and coastal flooding in store

More intense heat was in store for wide swaths of Southern California on Sunday, with temperatures expected to reach the 90s along areas away from the coast in Los Angeles County, and the low 100s in the Inland Empire.

Temperatures were expected to be even more extreme Sunday in the deserts and the San Joaquin Valley, where they could reach up to 109 in the Victorville area, 110 in the Antelope Valley and 112 in the Coachella Valley. Farther north, the San Joaquin Valley could see temperatures up to 110, and Yosemite Valley could see maximum temperatures as high as 98.

A heat advisory was in place for much of Southern California away from the immediate coast, the National Weather Service said, indicating the risk of heat illnesses. The deserts and the San Joaquin Valley were under an extreme heat warning.

On Saturday, temperatures hit 124 in Death Valley; 117 in Needles; 116 in Palm Springs; 111 in Barstow; 108 in Bakersfield and Ukiah; 106 in Lancaster, Fresno, Hanford and Bishop; 104 in Palmdale, Chino and Madera; 103 in Riverside; 102 in Ontario and Merced; 100 in Paso Robles; 99 in Sacramento and Modesto; 98 in Burbank and Stockton; 93 in Long Beach and 92 in downtown L.A.

Death Valley’s temperature Saturday was one degree shy of the record for Aug. 8, set in 1998 at 125 degrees. The average temperature for Death Valley for the calendar day is 117.

The maximum temperature Saturday in Fullerton hit 97, breaking a record for an Aug. 8 last set in 2018, when the temperature hit 96.

Other spots closer to the coast were much cooler Saturday, with San Diego International Airport seeing a high of 81; Los Angeles International Airport, 79; and Santa Barbara, 78. San Francisco only reached a high of 62 on Saturday, and Monterey, 66.

Health officials urged vigilance, as warm overnight temperatures will contribute to heat stress for those without air conditioning.

People without air conditioning were urged to take cool showers or baths, avoid using the stove and oven to keep the home from getting hotter, and visit libraries, cooling centers, malls or other air-conditioned spots, the L.A. County Department of Public Health said.

Elevated fire weather conditions were expected to continue through Monday, the weather service said.

For Sunday and Monday, there’s also a risk of monsoonal thunderstorms over the mountains of Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside and Ventura counties and the Antelope Valley.

High tides will pose a risk of coastal flooding across portions of California in the coming days.

San Francisco Bay and Monterey Bay are at risk of flooding in places like parking lots, parks and roads, the National Weather Service said, through early Thursday morning.

The San Francisco tidal gauge, for instance, is expected to see the high tide at 1.5 feet above normal just after 9 p.m. Sunday. Contributing to the high tide are both unusually warm ocean temperatures and accumulated sea level rise, the weather service said. High tide can vary by up to 90 minutes earlier or later along the Pacific coast and San Francisco Bay.

Minor coastal flooding is a risk for the beaches of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties starting Monday evening through Wednesday night.

“Flooding of seawater is likely, around the time of high tide, over vulnerable low-lying coastal areas such as parking lots, beaches, and walkways,” the weather service office in Oxnard said. “Significant damage to roads or structures is not expected.”