Los Angeles is bracing for a lengthy heat wave as the weather system that’s cooked Texas expands westward and begins stripping moisture from Southern California’s terrain.
Heat alerts stretch from Santa Barbara along California’s central coast to the U.S.-Mexico border more than 200 miles (322 kilometers) southeast. Temperatures in downtown LA are forecast to approach 100F (38C) each day through Friday, according to the US National Weather Service. A little inland, daily highs are projected to get near 110F in the San Fernando Valley in the LA area.
The high heat risks further drying out plants and soil around Southern California. Even before this hot stretch, vegetation was already primed to support fires, according to Cody Snell, a meteorologist at the U.S. Weather Prediction Center.
“Any wind at all” would be enough to spread fires, he said.
While fire season has become a year-round phenomenon in California, the L.A. area’s risk tends to rise with the onset of Santa Ana winds in late fall and winter. In Santa Barbara County, the weather service said extremely warm “sundowner” winds are expected to roll down from the mountains each night this week.
Top photo: A surfer catches a wave in front of the Malibu pier on August 21, 2026 in Malibu, California. Bloomberg.
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