A blanket of heat draped over San Diego County is not letting up this workweek, but there may be some relief this weekend, according to meteorologists.
An excessive heat warning that was initiated last Friday remains in effect for the inland valleys, mountains and deserts through 10 p.m. Thursday evening due to near-record level temperatures.
While the warning is set to expire, San Diegans shouldn't expect much relief from the heat, NBC 7 Meteorologist Sheena Parveen said in Tuesday's First Alert Forecast.
There may be a slight cooldown as the weekend approaches, but temperatures will still be unseasonably hot. Another stretch of hot days is expected next week.
Scorching Heat Triggers Flex Alert
What to know about the alert.
There is also a mugginess to the heat wave and Parveen said there is a possibility for thunderstorms for the next several evenings.
The extreme heat can be dangerous to residents and pets. The National Weather Service urged residents to drink plenty of fluids, stay out of the sun and check on relatives and neighbors. Also, young children, seniors and pets should be never be left unattended in a vehicle, with car interiors able to "reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes," according to the NWS.
San Diego County has nine cooling centers available countywide with mandatory mask-wearing and social distancing protocols in place.
"When you enter the facility we ask you to wear a mask," said Tyler Lockwood, Community Service Supervisor with the City of Escondido. "Contactless temperature readings just to make sure no one is running a fever and possibly spreading coronavirus in these cool zones."
For more information on local cool zones' locations, click here.
The heat wave is also adding pressure to California's already-strained power supply. For several days, California's Independent System Operator (CAISO) has initiated a Stage 3 Emergency that allows them to force rotating outages in order to conserve energy.
In order to avoid the one-hour outages, CAISO has issued a Flex Alert urging residents to conserve energy from 2 to 9 p.m. The Flex Alert is in effect through Thursday, which asks residents to limit their power usage by:
- Turning off unnecessary lights
- Using major appliances before 2 p.m. and after 9 p.m.
- Setting air conditioner thermostats to 78 degrees or higher
- Using fans and keeping drapes drawn
- Reducing the use of pool pumps
More information can be found here.
