Here Comes the Heat: Temperatures Rising in Century City

CENTURY CITY, CA - Southland temperatures will rise sharply Wednesday at the start of a three-day hot spell.

The high in downtown L.A. is forecast to be 81 degrees Fahrenheit, 5 degrees above what is normal for this time of the year, and 12 degrees higher than Tuesday. In Burbank, a high of 82 is expected -- also 5 degrees above normal and 13 degrees above Tuesday's high. Temperatures will climb a few more degrees in some communities Thursday and begin falling back Friday.

The high temperatures are the result of high pressure moving in after the recent rains, which is a typical pattern, said National Weather Service meteorologist Curt Kaplan. The expected onset of weak-to-moderate Santa Ana winds will also contribute to the warm weather, he said, adding that no heat records are expected.

But conditions will create an elevated danger of fire, although wind speeds are not expected to reach red-flag- warning levels, and, thanks to recent rains, the vegetation is more moist and less combustible then it has been, Kaplan said.

The NWS issued a wind advisory this morning that was to have been in effect in the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles and Ventura counties until 2 p.m., but it cancelled it a few hours later, saying the Santa Ana winds would remain below advisory level. However, isolated gusts of between 40 and 50 mph are still possible in the San Gabriels Wednesday, and winds that could reach wind advisory level -- 35 mph -- may materialize tonight and Thursday.

The wind could make driving in mountain areas difficult, especially in high-profile vehicles, according to the NWS, which said the winds would die down this afternoon but resurge tonight and Thursday morning, possibly blowing at greater speeds than Wednesday.

The NWS forecast sunny skies in Los Angeles County and highs of 72 in Palmdale and Lancaster; 75 on Mount Wilson; 76 in Avalon; 77 at LAX; 80 in Long Beach and Saugus; 81 in downtown L.A.; 82 in San Gabriel and Burbank; 83 in Pasadena; and 86 in Woodland Hills Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Sunny skies were also forecast in Orange County, along with highs of 75 in Newport Beach; 78 in San Clemente; 79 in Laguna Beach; 81 in Anaheim and Yorba Linda; and 82 in Fullerton, Irvine and Mission Viejo. Temperatures will decline slightly along the coast Thursday but rise by several degrees for a day in Orange County's inland areas.

- City News Service / Image via Shutterstock