Parts of California will be at an enhanced risk of wildfire ignition this week amid record-breaking heat and gusty winds, meteorologists said.
The greatest risk will be in southern parts of the state where temperatures are forecast to hit dangerous triple-digit levels on Monday and Tuesday, meteorologists said.
The heat, coupled with gusty winds, will create “the most dangerous fire weather conditions seen in the past few years,” according to the National Weather Service.
“The combination of strong, gusty Santa Ana winds, unseasonably hot and very dry conditions will bring an extended period of critical fire weather conditions across much of southern California,” ABC News Meteorologist Daniel Peck said Sunday. “The concern is that things could go from good to very bad, very quickly in southern CA this time around.”
An Excessive Heat Warning is in effect for much of southwestern California, including San Diego to Los Angeles through Tuesday, where temperatures will be running upwards of 20 degrees above average for this time of the year, meteorologists said.
Decades-old daily record highs are expected to be broken in many SoCal cities on Monday and Tuesday. Long Branch, located about 30 minutes south of Los Angeles, could see temperatures as high as 104 degrees on Monday, which would break a 52-year-old daily record high.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles could hit a high of 102 degrees on Tuesday, which would top the daily temperature record of 99 degrees reached in 1909.
There will be a slight improvement with the heat on Wednesday and more notable relief by Thursday/Friday.
CAL Fire said it would increase its staffing levels with additional firefighters, fire engines, fire crews, and aircraft to respond to any new wildfires.
