A heat wave building up this week in San Diego County will peak Friday, with scorching temperatures likely to reach record-highs.
The National Weather Service’s heat advisory continues Friday. It’s been on the radar since mid-morning Thursday and is in effect through 9 p.m. Saturday. NBC 7 meteorologist Dagmar Midcap said this advisory impacts areas west of the mountains.
The NWS said temperatures could hit up to 106 degrees in San Diego County valleys. The hottest temps will hit the inland valleys Friday, near the foothills of the mountains.
“I think we’ll have a lot of areas around 100 degrees,” NBC 7 meteorologist Sheena Parveen said Friday.
Parveen said the marine layer clouds won’t linger for long Friday morning, so it’s going to get hot quickly.
“Shortly after sunrise, temperatures will be heating up. Inland will near 100 with some record highs,” she added.
Local
Parveen expected Ramona to hit 104 degrees – 6 degrees over the record-high. Meanwhile, El Cajon is expected to hit 100 degrees (matching the record-high), while Oceanside and San Diego hit 85 degrees, and Chula Vista hits 84 degrees.
"Although dangerous heat is present, and there's no single-digit humidity, there's thankfully no Santa Ana winds present," Midcap said.
The NWS said Campo, California, will likely hit 105, which breaks the 103-degree record set in 1972.
Meanwhile, in San Diego’s deserts, the excessive heat warning issued by the NWS Thursday morning continues through 9 p.m. Saturday. Conditions will be “dangerously hot,” with temps up to 120, according to the warning.
But relief is near – little by little, at least.
Midcap said Friday is the worst of the heat wave.
Parveen said inland areas should be about 5 degrees cooler Saturday, and then another 5 degrees cooler Sunday. It’ll still be hot, yes, but it’ll be the beginning of a cool down.
“Next week, we have a nice cooling trend on the way,” Parveen said.
Both Parveen and the NWS said the extreme heat increases the chances of heat-related illnesses, so stay in cool, indoor areas, drink plenty of water, and never leave children or pets alone inside the car. Limit your time outside and reschedule any strenuous activities for early morning or evening.
Meanwhile, Cleveland National Forest said Thursday that it was closing its Three Sisters and Cedar Creek Fall trails due to the heat advisory in the region issued by the NWS. The trails will be closed Thursday through Sunday.
NBC 7 caught up with some hikers who decided to tackle Iron Mountain Friday despite the heat.
“Brutal, like super hot. It’s not fun at all,” said Heidi Neidig-Urie. “It’s been so hot lately.”
That’s why she and her friend hit the mountain early, even though it was in the 90s by 10:00 a.m.
“Got to get it in before the heat!” declared her hiking partner Jamie Gianni.
If you're looking to beat the heat over these next couple of days, you can find information on safe Cool Zones across San Diego County here.
