Southern California heat wave lingers

The National Weather Service, which had canceled all high heat warnings in L.A. County, issued heat advisories for most of the county Friday morning, indicating that while it will be a bit cooler than it has been, the above-normal heat that's been bedeviling the Southland this week has not yet entirely dissipated.

Saturday should be cooler, and Sunday should feel normal, said NWS meteorologist Dave Bruno.

Before dawn today, the NWS issued heat advisories, which are a little less serious than the excessive heat warnings that were in effect in most of L.A. County this week. They are scheduled to be in effect until 8 tonight in the the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and San Gabriel valleys, the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, and the Los Angeles coastal zone, which consists of beach cities, metropolitan L.A., the Downtown area and the Hollywood Hills.

But no such advisories were issued for the Antelope Valley or the San Gabriel Mountains. In the case of the Antelope Valley, the absence of a heat advisory reflected in part that 100 degrees, the high forecast, is not all that hot for that area. In the case of the San Gabriels, forecasters during the night became aware of high clouds streaming into the area as a result of thunderstorms in Arizona, and those clouds will keep the mountain cooler than it otherwise would have been, said Bruno.

``We were on the fence'' about whether to issue heat advisories and about not issuing one for the San Gabriels, he said. It's possible that high clouds will also end up providing cloud cover over areas of L.A. County other than the San Gabriel Mountains, which could prompt the weather service to cancel some before the scheduled 8 p.m. expiration time, forecasters said.

L.A. County temperatures were only expected to be three to five degrees above normal today, but overnight temperatures were in the 70s, five to seven degrees higher than normal, meaning the region was leaning warm from the start of the day, which was another reason to issue heat advisories, Bruno said.

Along the L.A. County coast, where the surf is forecast to peak at four to seven feet, a high surf advisory will be in force until midnight Saturday. Minor coastal flooding is possible, and strong, frequent rip currents will create risks for swimmers and surfers, according to the NWS.

In Orange County, a beach hazard statement is scheduled to be in effect until Saturday evening. Although a little less serious that a high surf advisory, it heralds similar conditions, including minor flooding and strong rip currents.

The NWS forecast partly cloudy skies in L.A. County today and highs of 79 in Avalon; 85 at LAX; 88 on Mount Wilson; 92 in Downtown L.A. and Long Beach; 94 in San Gabriel; 95 in Burbank; 96 in Pasadena; 100 in Saugus, Palmdale and Lancaster; and 101 in Woodland Hills.

In Orange County, the forecast was for smoke, just like Thursday, as a result of the Holy Fire in the Cleveland National Forest. Expected highs were 81 in San Clemente, 84 in Newport Beach and Laguna Beach; 91 in Irvine; 92 in Anaheim and Yorba Linda; 93 in Fullerton; and 94 in Mission Viejo.

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