Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Extreme Heat Raises Fire Weather Concerns Across Southern California

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Forecasters Tuesday warned that a prolonged stretch of extreme heat will create “elevated to briefly critical fire weather conditions” across much of Southern California through at least Monday.

The National Weather Service said the combination of above-normal temperatures, low humidity, dry vegetation and breezy conditions will increase the risk of rapidly spreading wildfires.

“With hotter and more unstable conditions, there will be an increased risk for large plume dominated fires across the interior, especially in the Thursday through Monday time frame when the heat wave peaks and humidities lower,” the weather service said.

Warm overnight temperatures and poor overnight humidity recovery are expected to further elevate the fire danger, particularly in foothill and mountain communities, the NWS said.

Forecasters said very dry air could spread into portions of the interior Sunday and Monday, dropping humidity levels to between 5% and 10%.

The weather service also forecast widespread moderate to high heat risk across the region from Wednesday through Monday, with triple-digit temperatures expected in many valleys, mountain communities and desert locations.