Fall baking! Soaring California temperatures spur power shutoff warnings, increased fire risks
For a minute there, it felt like fall.
But even as October kicks off, the cool weather reprieve is ending, California is going to see temperatures climb into the extreme range again, forecasters say.
“There is some potential for record-breaking heat,†said Todd Hall, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
Highs in some areas on both ends of the state could soar into the triple digits.
Temperatures this week in Southern California are expected to be about 10 degrees above normal, according to the weather service. Parts of Los Angeles County will begin to see high temperatures starting Tuesday, with Wednesday the hottest day of the week, Hall said.
Similarly, temperatures from inland parts of the Bay Area into the Sacramento Valley could reach the triple digits by Wednesday, bringing along with them dry wind gusts and an elevated risk of fast-moving wildfires.
In response, Pacific Gas & Electric has warned many of its customers that the utility could cut their power Monday and Tuesday to avoid sparking any new blazes. Some of California’s deadliest and most destructive blazes have been started by the utility’s equipment in last 10 years.
PG&E said it could cut power to customers in the following counties as part of a Public Safety Power Shutoff: Alameda, Butte, Colusa, Contra Costa, Glenn, Humboldt, Napa, Shasta, Sonoma, Tehama and Trinity.
Those same counties could face another power shutoff Tuesday, the utility warned.
Tactical disputes between the Forest Service and local fire agencies are not new, but recent federal staffing shortages have exacerbated long-simmering tension.
Last October, the state faced a heat wave that drove temperatures across Southern California 15 degrees above normal and brought record heat to Northern California.
Hall said that after the heat peaks on Wednesday, cooler temperatures should arrive later in the week for the Southland.
Woodland Hills is expecting a high of 105 degrees on Wednesday, and Burbank could see 97, Hall said. The weather service issued an excessive heat advisory beginning Tuesday through Wednesday evening for the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, with temperatures reaching as high as 106.
Other parts of Southern California will also face triple-digit temperatures. Ojai is expected to hit 105 on Tuesday and Wednesday, while residents in Paso Robles could see temperatures reach 108. San Luis Obispo will see temperatures as high as 100 on those days as well.
Hall advised residents to be cognizant of the hot weather and avoid outdoor activity, or confine their activity to the early morning hours.
There is also an elevated fire risk with the rising temperatures, Hall said. But there are no high winds in the forecast that could drive the fire risk even higher.
Firefighters are still working on fully containing three Southern California wildfires. The Airport, Bridge and Line fires started near the beginning of September and have been burning for weeks.
The Bridge, Line and Airport fires have burned about 184 square miles of land in Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties, affecting many popular outdoor destinations.
The Airport fire in Orange and Riverside counties has burned 23,526 acres and is 95% contained. Authorities have made daily progress, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. The Bridge fire in L.A. and San Bernardino counties has burned 54,878 acres and is 97% contained.
The most active fire remaining is the Line fire in San Bernardino County, which was 83% contained but had a significant flare-up on Sunday, as the Victorville Daily Press reported. The county Sheriff’s Department issued an evacuation order Sunday afternoon for the community of Seven Oaks.
Cal Fire said the Line fire was still burning actively in Bear Creek on Sunday and producing a lot of smoky conditions because of dried-out fuels. Relative humidity in the fire area was expected to range as low as 12%, with winds gusting to about 15 mph. Cal Fire said it had strengthened the containment line on the ridge and had at least 10 helicopters working in the area.
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