Westwood's Muggy Heat Wave Has Real Staying Power

LOS ANGELES, CA — Sweltering heat will enshroud the Southland Friday for a fifth straight day, and Angelenos might as well get used to the muggy weather because it seems to be sticking around. The summer heat waves came late, but they now that they are here, they have real staying power.

At least four L.A. County communities will reach 100 degrees or higher Friday, but no heat advisories were issued. And no significant cooling trend is immediately in sight.

The NWS forecast sunny conditions Friday after days of cloudy skies, along with highs of 79 degrees at LAX; 84 in Avalon and on Mount Wilson; 90 in Downtown L.A.; 94 in Long Beach; 97 in Burbank; 98 in Pasadena; 100 in Saugus and Palmdale; 101 in Woodland Hills; and 102 in Lancaster. Temperatures will be minimally higher in some communities Saturday and slightly lower in others.

Sunny skies were also forecast in Orange County, along with highs of 76 in Laguna Beach and San Clemente; 77 in Newport Beach; 79 on Santiago Peak; 84 on Ortega Highway at 2,600 feet; 89 in Fullerton, Irvine and Mission Viejo; 90 in Fremont Canyon and Trabuco Canyon; and 91 in Yorba Linda and Anaheim. Temperatures will begin declining marginally Sunday.

The heat wave, caused by high pressure over the Four Corners region, is accompanied by monsoonal moisture out of Mexico, meaning it may feel even hotter than what the thermometer shows, but no precipitation was in Friday's forecast.

Forecasters urge the public to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air- conditioned room, stay out of the sun, check up on relatives and neighbors, and never leave people or pets in hot cars.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.