Record-breaking heat wave will broil Southern California for several more days

The record-breaking heat wave pummeling Southern California will continue through the weekend, delivering a miserable combination of triple-digit highs and unrelenting overnight heat .

The National Weather Service in Oxnard said Saturday morning that "dangerously hot conditions" will continue in the region through Monday. On Saturday, temperatures were expected to be 2 to 10 degrees lower than Friday's record-breaking heat, meteorologists said, but still hovering 15 to 25 degrees above normal.

There is light at the end of the tunnel: Much cooler temperatures are expected to arrive Tuesday or Wednesday and last through the end of next week.

"This is about the most significant heat wave we've had in the metro area for several years," said John Dumas, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. "We're looking at a big cool-down coming Tuesday."

Friday's temperatures shattered five records in Los Angeles and Orange counties set in the summer of 2020 . A reading of 102 at Los Angeles International Airport broke the 2020 record of 99 degrees, and 109 degrees at Long Beach Airport surpassed the 2020 record of 104.

Some cloud cover Saturday will help keep temperatures down, Dumas said, but overcast conditions at night will prevent the region from cooling off.

"It's been hot for so many days that things are starting off warmer," Dumas said.

As the temperature neared 100 degrees in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, kids zipped around the splash pad in Gloria Molina Grand Park.

"It's intolerable," said Elaine Lagunas of Covina, a teacher, who said the heat had caused her 6-year-old daughter to complain of a stomachache a few days before.

Her students have been fussier than usual because their classrooms are ill-equipped to deal with 100-degree afternoons, she said.

Saturday brought humidity as well as heat. Thunderstorms were forecast for the afternoon in parts of the San Gabriel Mountains, Dumas said. But, he said, the oppressive heat meant that rain could evaporate before hitting the ground, producing a phenomenon known as "dry lightning" — a wildfire risk.

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for all mountain and foothill areas through 8 p.m.

Five hundred firefighters were using hand lines, hoses and fixed-wing aircraft to fight a wildfire burning in San Bernardino County. The Line fire , which was 0% contained, started Thursday evening and exploded in size overnight as temperatures climbed to 110 degrees.

As of Saturday afternoon, the blaze had scorched about 3,800 acres in the city of Highland, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. The agency warned that during another day of triple-digit temperatures, the fire could surge in size again, climbing into the foothills to the northeast.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department issued an evacuation order at 9:30 a.m. Saturday for neighborhoods in the area.

The extreme heat also left thousands of households without power across Southern California.

Southern California Edison said that as many as 8,600 households in Los Angeles County, and nearly 1,600 in San Bernardino County, had lost power Saturday.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power also reported outages affecting thousands of households across the eastern and northern swaths of its coverage area Saturday morning, including Silver Lake, Exposition Park, University Park, Mission Hills, Sylmar, Pacoima and Arleta.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the LADWP was working around the clock with extra staff to repair equipment and restore power. More than 7,000 LADWP customers were without power at noon Saturday, the city said.

Los Angeles libraries and park buildings are open for people who need relief from the heat, Bass said. The city also has a half-dozen "augmented cooling centers," which offer charging stations and refrigeration for medications.

“We will continue to urgently provide resources for Angelenos throughout Los Angeles in order to beat the heat," Bass said.

In Torrance on Saturday afternoon, traffic slowed to a crawl at Hawthorne Boulevard and Carson Street, where traffic lights had gone out. The power was also out in portions of Del Amo Mall, including the Macy's department store.

The California Independent System Operator, which manages the state’s energy grid, said there was enough power statewide to meet demand.

Marcos Gutieres, 47, sought refuge from the heat under a tree in Elysian Park with his brother Saturday afternoon.

Gutieres tries to avoid turning on the air conditioning in his apartment near downtown L.A. He spent about $250 cooling the place in July and $350 in August, he said, and is nervous about this month's bill.

At his job lifting pallets in a warehouse, he tries not to stray too far from the portable fans, he said.

Jose and Angela Suarez also try not to turn on the air conditioning at home in Long Beach.

Angela Suarez said the cost of cooling their home has nearly doubled this summer. If it's below 80 degrees outside, she said, they leave the AC off.

The Suarezes have left home less frequently this summer because of the heat. On Saturday, they made an exception for a particularly sweaty R&B concert in downtown Los Angeles.

And when they return home, they'll crank up the AC.

"On a day like this, you have to eat the cost," said Angela Suarez, 37, waving herself with a patterned fan.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .