A sweltering heat wave across the U.S. southwest will send San Diego County’s temperatures soaring into dangerous territory for most of the county this week.
All parts of the county except the coast will see temperatures climb to about 10 to 15 degrees above average for this time of the year, which has prompted an excessive heat warning for most of the county, according to NBC 7 Meteorologist Sheena Parveen.
“This is dangerous heat,” Parveen said. “You really want to avoid long hours outside. Make sure you stay hydrated, stay cool. This is going to last for the rest of the week and its still going to be hot as we head into the weekend.”
Wednesday through Friday are expected to be the hottest days of the week. The excessive heat warning will go into effect 11 a.m. Wednesday to 8 p.m. Friday from the inland areas to the deserts.
“The only area not under an advisory as of now is going to be the coast but the coast is still going to be unseasonably hot,” Parveen said. “If you’re not right there on the sand on the beach, you could be pushing the mid- to low-90s.”
Temperatures are expected to be close to 105 degrees inland, 108 degrees in the foothils and 102 degrees in the mountains. The deserts are expecting high temperatures near 118 degrees.
One benefit to this stretch of weather: we are not expecting Santa Ana winds, Parveen said. There is still an elevated fire threat, though, because temperatures will be so hot and humidity will be low.
An excessive heat warning means extreme temperatures could cause heat-related illness. Forecasters recommend people avoid long hours outside and stay hydrated. Use cool zones if necessary and never leave pets or children unattended in hot vehicles.
🧊 Tap the link below for a list of places to cool off in San Diego County
Those recommendations are even more important during this heat wave as there will be little relief overnight, Parveen said. Temperatures are expected to stay in the 70s and above across the county.
The heat wave is affecting most of the southwest this week, prompting excessive heat warnings for most of Southern California, a large swath of Arizona and part of Nevada.
“Labor Day weekend normally marks the unofficial end to summer but [this time] not so much,” Parveen said.
California may also need to take measures to mitigate strain on the power grid. Cal ISO issued a Heat Bulletin over the weekend that said the agency does not expect shortfalls but extreme heat causes an increase risk of power outages.
If the risk of a rolling power outage is observed, Cal ISO can issue a a Flex Alert, which is a call to voluntarily reduce energy consumption.
After Flex Alerts, grid managers have several options before rotating power outages, such as tapping backup generators, buying more power from other states and using so-called demand response programs, where people are paid to use less energy.
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