Heat wave reaches ‘the tail end’ in Southern California
A view shows an inflatable dinghy at the mouth of the Los Angeles River Saturday, May 15, 2015, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon) less A view shows an inflatable dinghy at the mouth of the Los Angeles River Saturday, May 15, 2015, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon) Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Heat wave reaches ‘the tail end’ in Southern California 1 / 4 Back to Gallery
It was just a few weeks ago that a record heat wave swept across California and swept out over Los Angeles and parts of the East Bay, prompting some residents to worry about being unable to go outside for the next three days.
With the heat index of 103° at midday Friday, the temperature would be a near record for Southern California, the National Weather Service said.
There was a heat wave and a storm in California, with more expected in the coming hours. But the heat wave that’s forecast for the Los Angeles area Friday — possibly reaching a record-breaking level of 103 degrees Thursday — is “the tail end” of that.
“By Thursday morning, a lot of parts of Los Angeles could be in the high 90s,” said meteorologist Bill Patzert at the NWS office in San Francisco. “So you still have a chance to get out.”
Patton said that the heat is a “perfect storm” for high temperatures and that the record is not yet set by the weather service’s records.
“At the tail end of the heat wave, we’re looking at temperatures in the 80s in parts of the Bay Area as we head into the weekend,” she said.
Patton said the heat does, however, make things more of a challenge for emergency workers because “it can make them feel it more.”
While Los Angeles has a number of “air-conditioned” buildings, such as the California Academy of Sciences and Los Angeles Zoo, as well as a large number of open air spaces, “if you look at downtown, there’s no air-conditioning,” Patton said.
Korey Schafer, a meteorologist with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said the heat wave was “nothing” compared to the past couple of days. He