Memorial Day Heatwave To Hit Pasadena

PASADENA, CA — Memorial Day, the unofficial start of barbecue and beach season, will bring hot weather to Los Angeles with temperatures in the mid to upper 90s in the valleys, according to the National Weather Service. The holiday weekend will trigger a warm-up with temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above normal in parts of the county, possibly reaching 91 degrees in Pasadena Monday.

While parts of the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys are expected to soar into the mid 90s, the coast will remain relatively mild with temperatures in the 70s, according to the weather service. The heat wave is expected to last through the end of next week with a slight cooldown beginning Thursday.

Woodland Hills, for instance, will experience highs of 96 degrees on Monday and Tuesday, 93 on Wednesday and 90 on Thursday -- between 7 and 13 degrees above normal, weather service forecasters said. At the same time, highs in the Antelope Valley are forecast to be 95 Monday, 98 Tuesday, 97 Wednesday and 96 Thursday -- generally between 9 and 12 degrees above normal, while in the Santa Clarita Valley, Saugus will be at 93 Monday, 95 Tuesday and Wednesday and 92 Thursday.

Temperatures are also expected to hit the 90s next week in parts of the San Gabriel Valley, but they won't be as high or as widespread as in the other valleys, with highs of 91 forecast in Pasadena on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Along the Los Angeles coast, temperatures will hover in the upper 70s, according to the weather service.

NWS meteorologist Dave Bruno said from his monitoring station in Oxnard that conditions may warrant the issuance of heat advisories for some L.A County valley areas next week. In San Diego, where Orange County conditions are monitored, NWS meteorologist Bruno Rodriguez said the temperatures reaching the 90s would be 10-15 degrees above normal and would constitute heat wave conditions.

Off the coast, a small craft advisory mean to discourage inexperienced mariners from sailing in small vessels will be in effect from noon to 3 p.m. Friday, and a gale warning from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. amid northwest winds of 20 to 30 knots, with gusts of 35 knots and combined seas of 8 to 10 feet.

The NWS forecast partly cloudy skies Friday and highs of 63 on Mount Wilson; 68 in Avalon; 72 in Long Beach; 73 at LAX; 77 in Downtown L.A.; 79 in Pasadena; 80 in Burbank, San Gabriel and Saugus; and 81 in Woodland Hills. Temperatures will stay the same or decline slightly Saturday, then climb marginally Sunday before a ramp-up Monday.

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