RIVERSIDE — Searing temperatures and minimal humidity will turn most of the Inland Empire into an oven this week, raising heat-related health risks and wildfire danger, the National Weather Service said Monday.
The NWS released a statement saying the region is in store for “a potentially long duration heat wave, beginning Tuesday and Wednesday and continuing into at least early next week.”
“Hot and unstable conditions, along with minimum relative humidity each day well inland, will lead to the potential of large vertical plume growth for any new fires that develop, particularly in the foothills and in the mountains,” the NWS stated.
According to forecasters, high pressure ridges trundling over the Great Basin of Utah and Nevada will, over the next six or seven days, influence weather patterns, pushing moisture out and pushing the mercury into the triple digits across Riverside County.
An Excessive Heat Watch is in effect from Tuesday morning to Sunday night.
“Extreme heat will significantly increase the potential for heat-related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities,” the Weather Service said.
Meteorologists recommended minimizing exposure risks by remaining indoors whenever and wherever possible, as well as staying hydrated and near an air conditioner.
It was unknown whether the late-summer scorcher might crack temperature records over the Labor Day weekend.
High temps in the Riverside metropolitan area are predicted to reach 100 Tuesday, 104 Wednesday, 105 Thursday, 102 Friday, 105 Saturday and 107 Sunday, with low temperatures generally hovering in the mid to upper 70s all week.
In the Coachella Valley, 110 is predicted to be the average high this week, though in some locations, the mercury is expected to climb well into the 110s from Tuesday to Sunday, with lows in the upper 80s, according to the NWS.
In the Temecula Valley, the highs will approach 100 every day starting Wednesday and continuing into the weekend, with lows around 70, forecasters said.
Highs in San Bernardino were forecast to be 103 on Tuesday, 106 Wednesday, 107 Thursday, 104 Friday, and 107 Saturday and Sunday.
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In Ontario, it will be 98 on Tuesday, 103 Wednesday, 102 Thursday, 100 Friday, 104 Saturday and 106 Sunday.
Mountain areas will be cooler. In Big Bear, the Tuesday high is predicted to be 81, with the high reaching 83 Wednesday, 82 Thursday, 83 Friday, 82 Saturday and 81 Sunday.
Staff Writer Steven Rosenberg contributed to this report.
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