After a short break from warm conditions over the weekend, the region began experiencing rising temperatures again on Monday. Meteorologists say the hottest days are likely to occur from Tuesday through Friday, when inland areas could see triple-digit heat while coastal communities experience temperatures in the 80s.

Forecasters warn the event could rank among the most extreme March heat waves on record for parts of the region.

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory beginning Monday morning, which is expected to escalate into an extreme heat warning lasting through Friday evening in several areas. Communities across Los Angeles County—including Woodland Hills, Glendale, East Los Angeles and Beverly Hills—could see daytime temperatures ranging from the mid-90s to more than 100 degrees.

One of the most concerning aspects of the heat wave is the lack of overnight cooling. Nighttime temperatures are forecast to remain unusually warm, with lows in many areas staying in the mid-60s to mid-70s, and some foothill locations possibly remaining near 80 degrees overnight.

Health experts say warm nights can significantly increase the danger of heat-related illness because the body has less opportunity to recover from daytime heat. Prolonged exposure can lead to dehydration, heat exhaustion and, in severe cases, heatstroke.

Public health officials note that extreme heat has become more frequent and severe in California in recent decades. Certain groups face higher risks during extreme heat events, including older adults, children, pregnant women, outdoor workers, individuals with chronic medical conditions and people experiencing homelessness.

Residents are encouraged to take precautions as temperatures rise. Local governments have opened cooling centers at libraries and community facilities where people can escape the heat. Authorities also recommend drinking plenty of water, limiting outdoor activities during peak afternoon hours and checking on neighbors or family members who may be vulnerable.

Forecasts suggest temperatures could reach 98 degrees in downtown Los Angeles, about 97 degrees in Long Beach, and around 100 degrees in parts of the San Fernando Valley later this week.

In the Inland Empire, even hotter conditions are expected. Highs could reach 105 degrees in San Bernardino, around 102 degrees in Riverside, and about 103 degrees in Hemet by Friday.

Weather experts say the pattern resembles a mid-summer heat wave occurring months earlier than usual, underscoring the importance of preparation and caution as the region heads into the unusually hot week ahead.

The post Record-Setting Heat Wave Forecast Across Southern California appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

The nonprofit Comité Civico del Valle has distributed air purifiers, air conditioning devices and water purifiers to families living around the Salton Sea, through a weather resilience program that GoFundMe.org launched.

“This program’s about fairness, safety and dignity for our residents,” Luis Olmedo, executive director of Comité Civico del Valle said at a press conference last week. “It’s not just about handing out equipment. It’s about making sure that vulnerable residents, especially seniors, people with health conditions and low-income families are not left behind when extreme heat strikes.”

The National Weather Service is warning of extreme weather conditions in inland desert areas this week, with temperatures forecast at 106 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Weather conditions, it stated, will be “dangerously hot” and pose a “major heat risk” of illnesses including heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

But triple digit temperatures are the norm in summer for desert communities in eastern Riverside and Imperial County.

And aging homes aren’t equipped to protect against those conditions. Many families live in mobile homes, including old, aluminum trailers without insulation that are “like being inside a can,” said Esther Bejarano, director of health programs for the organization.

“Imagine living inside that trailer where it’s 30, 40 years old, and you have a non-working inside window unit… to cool the house,” she said.

In 2022 Imperial County had more than 100 heat-related emergency room visits per 100,000 residents: the highest rate in the state. Last year the county recorded 196 heat-related medical incidents, including 11 deaths. This year so far it has reported 65 illnesses and no deaths.

Neighboring Riverside County, which also includes parts of the Salton Sea, recorded 1,627 emergency room visits and 65 deaths due to heat-related illness in 2024 and 550 heat-related emergency department visits and two deaths this year. 

GoFundMe.org introduced a pilot program to reduce those risks. It provided half a million dollars to Comité Civico del Valle to provide the devices to people who lacked air filtration or cooling systems, or couldn’t afford to use them. 

“I knew people who lived in manufactured homes, which they called trailers. They had to go to the Circle K, the Arco, or the public library, to get cooled off, because they didn’t have air conditioning,” said Rodrigo Palma, a 72-year-old Brawley resident, who received help through the program.

The goal was to provide 100 families with updated cooling systems. So far the program has installed 72 cooling systems, 389 air purifiers and four reverse osmosis water filters, said Amanda Brown Lehrman, executive director of GoFundMe.org.

“While these interventions do not replace the need for systemic change, they do provide families with tools to protect their health and manage the everyday challenges a little bit more faithfully and a little bit more affordably,” Lehrman said.

The weather resilience program hit some snags, Bejarano said. The cooling systems, called mini-split air conditioning units, are ductless systems designed to cool individual rooms quickly and efficiently, she said.

“They’ve been very popular and sales have skyrocketed, because people cannot afford to turn on the AC if they do have one to cool the entire house,” she said.

But contractors hired to install them found that permits cost as much as $900 per unit, she said.

“We’ve had a lot of hurdles with the very high cost of permits for these homes and families that need it the most,” she said. “That’s something we need to do some policy work on.”

The post As heat soars in the Inland Empire, a community group steps up to save lives appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

As the Inland Empire braces for an extreme heat warning this week, a community group is helping residents in the hottest parts of the desert manage scorching weather.

The nonprofit Comité Civico del Valle has distributed air purifiers, air conditioning devices and water purifiers to families living around the Salton Sea, through a weather resilience program that GoFundMe.org launched.

“This program’s about fairness, safety and dignity for our residents,” Luis Olmedo, executive director of Comité Civico del Valle said at a press conference last week. “It’s not just about handing out equipment. It’s about making sure that vulnerable residents, especially seniors, people with health conditions and low-income families are not left behind when extreme heat strikes.”

The National Weather Service is warning of extreme weather conditions in inland desert areas this week, with temperatures forecast at 106 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Weather conditions, it stated, will be “dangerously hot” and pose a “major heat risk” of illnesses including heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

But triple digit temperatures are the norm in summer for desert communities in eastern Riverside and Imperial County.

And aging homes aren’t equipped to protect against those conditions. Many families live in mobile homes, including old, aluminum trailers without insulation that are “like being inside a can,” said Esther Bejarano, director of health programs for the organization.

“Imagine living inside that trailer where it’s 30, 40 years old, and you have a non-working inside window unit… to cool the house,” she said.

In 2022 Imperial County had more than 100 heat-related emergency room visits per 100,000 residents: the highest rate in the state. Last year the county recorded 196 heat-related medical incidents, including 11 deaths. This year so far it has reported 65 illnesses and no deaths.

Neighboring Riverside County, which also includes parts of the Salton Sea, recorded 1,627 emergency room visits and 65 deaths due to heat-related illness in 2024 and 550 heat-related emergency department visits and two deaths this year.

GoFundMe.org introduced a pilot program to reduce those risks. It provided half a million dollars to Comité Civico del Valle to provide the devices to people who lacked air filtration or cooling systems, or couldn’t afford to use them.

“I knew people who lived in manufactured homes, which they called trailers. They had to go to the Circle K, the Arco, or the public library, to get cooled off, because they didn’t have air conditioning,” said Rodrigo Palma, a 72-year-old Brawley resident, who received help through the program.

The goal was to provide 100 families with updated cooling systems. So far the program has installed 72 cooling systems, 389 air purifiers and four reverse osmosis water filters, said Amanda Brown Lehrman, executive director of GoFundMe.org.

“While these interventions do not replace the need for systemic change, they do provide families with tools to protect their health and manage the everyday challenges a little bit more faithfully and a little bit more affordably,” Lehrman said.

The weather resilience program hit some snags, Bejarano said. The cooling systems, called mini-split air conditioning units, are ductless systems designed to cool individual rooms quickly and efficiently, she said.

“They’ve been very popular and sales have skyrocketed, because people cannot afford to turn on the AC if they do have one to cool the entire house,” she said.

But contractors hired to install them found that permits cost as much as $900 per unit, she said.

“We’ve had a lot of hurdles with the very high cost of permits for these homes and families that need it the most,” she said. “That’s something we need to do some policy work on.”

The post As heat soars in the Inland Empire, a community group steps up to save lives appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.