Autumn is on pause as summer-like heat wave stirs fire fears in California

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Autumn is on pause as summer-like heat wave stirs new fire fears in California

Over 1 million acres have burned in California this year, and as an abnormally warm summer-like heat wave pushes temperatures up throughout the state this week, the risk of increased burning remains high.

Heat advisories have been issued across the state, many warning of triple-digit temperatures that have already led to power shutoffs in the north and additional wildfire evacuations in the south.

Though fire season in California typically extends through the fall months, the weather service expects highs in most areas throughout the state to reach 10 to 20 degrees above average for this time of year.

This unusual heat wave will dry out landscapes and drop humidity levels, which officials say can spur easier and faster wildfire growth. Gusty offshore winds breezing through the California coast is an added concern, the weather service said.

A construction worker takes a water break while digging a trench with a shovel amid a heat wave in Irvine on Sept. 5.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

My colleagues at the Times reported on the soaring October temperatures. Here’s what you need to know.

Will the heat wave affect you?

Temperatures in Southern California are expected to be about 10 degrees above normal, according to the National Weather Service. Today will be the hottest day of the week in parts of Los Angeles County, Todd Hall, a meteorologist with the weather service in Oxnard, told the Times.

Across Southern California, the weather service is warning of “dangerously hot conditions” through Thursday. Some expected high temperatures this week include:

• Up to 107 degrees in the San Fernando Valley, the Santa Clarita Valley, the Antelope Valley foothills and the 5 Freeway corridor
• Up to or over 100 degrees in much of the Central Valley
• Up to 115 degrees in Death Valley
• Over 104 degrees in parts of the Bay Area

A person wipes sweat from their brow at Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park.

(Ty ONeil / Associated Press)

For the western San Gabriel Mountains — where the Bridge fire erupted last month — and the 14 Freeway corridor specifically, the weather service announced a red flag warning through Thursday, saying that “hot and unstable conditions” could rapidly advance fire spread. An additional fire watch was issued for the interior mountains of San Luis Obispo County and Santa Barbara County for today and tomorrow.

Up north in Shasta County, about 1,100 customers — 9,000 on Monday and 200 on Tuesday — experienced a planned Pacific Gas & Electric shutoff, Paul Doherty, a spokesperson for PG&E said. The company had warned earlier that it would cut power to residents facing dangerous fire weather, especially “high winds and dry conditions,” to minimize the risk of fires erupting.

Wildfire risk continues

The Line, Bridge and Airport fires that burned a total of 122,500 acres in Southern California are respectively 76%, 98% and 95% contained. However, on Sunday, with excessive heat in the area, authorities issued additional evacuations and warnings because of flare-ups on the Line fire in San Bernardino.

The flare-up intensified Monday, expanding evacuation orders and causing firefighters to lose some ground on containment.

Firefighters can do little to save an engulfed home as the Line fire burns into a tree lined neighborhood on Sept. 10 in Running Springs.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The high-risk weather this week could create conditions that spark “plume-dominated fires,” identified by tall plumes of smoke that become dangerously hot, which could potentially cause fires to grow erratically, Bryan Lewis, a weather service meteorologist in Oxnard, told The Times.

Throughout California, the weather service’s Climate Prediction Center expects temperatures to remain above-average until at least mid-October, stretching across the Southwest as forecast in parts of Arizona and Nevada are already hitting record-high daily temperatures.

But beyond fire hazards, meteorologists and experts are warning of health risks caused by excessive heat. So, drink plenty of fluids, stay indoors in an air-conditioned room if you can, otherwise stay in the shade and follow safety measures to stay cool during high temperatures.

Read more

Today’s top stories

JD Vance, left, and Tim Walz on the debate stage Tuesday night in New York.

(Matt Rourke / Associated Press)

Vance and Walz kept it polite — with a few jabs — in VP debate

• Republican JD Vance and Democrat Tim Walz engaged in a remarkably civil vice presidential debate Tuesday night, with both sides claiming they represent the change Americans are seeking.
• Didn’t watch the debate? You can find five big takeaways here.
• Here’s a look at how Vance and Walz differed from their running mates on immigration.
• And Times columnists discussed the best and worst moments of the debate as they happened.
• In other election news, CBS News said Trump dropped out of a “60 Minutes” interview after accepting an invitation.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs faces sexual abuse and exploitation allegations from 120 people, including minors

• More than 100 people, including some who were minors at the time of the alleged abuse, are planning to file lawsuits against Combs in New York and California, according to an attorney.
• The impending lawsuits come after federal prosecutors last month charged the hip-hop music mogul with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.
• Combs has pleaded not guilty and has been in federal custody since his arrest on Sept. 16.

California sued a hospital that denied a woman an emergency abortion last year

• Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka is accused of violating multiple state laws by denying a woman an abortion after she experienced a dangerous complication.
• The case exposes gaps in abortion care in California, home to the nation’s strongest reproductive rights protections, where abortion access is enshrined in the state Constitution.

Ranking California’s best and worst cities for retiring

• The Times ranked 367 California cities on livability, affordability, climate and more to determine which were the best and worst for retirement.
• The best? Eureka, a major city on the state’s north coast with a population of about 30,000.

What else is going on

Get unlimited access to the Los Angeles Times. Subscribe here.

• The DMV dumped license renewal tests for most drivers 70 and older — ending a “long statewide nightmare,” columnist Steve Lopez writes.
• A “Never Trump” conservative explains why he won’t vote for a third-party candidate in the upcoming presidential election.
• An artist leans on queer family history as the nation tries to keep up with this year’s election shifts.
• When depression and an eating disorder locked her in a downward spiral, writer Molly Wadzeck Kraus says it took months of the Barefoot Contessa to change her relationship with food.

This morning’s must reads

Residents of villages in southern Lebanon who fled amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes sit in their vehicles on a highway to Beirut on Tuesday.

(Mohammad Zaatari / Associated Press)

Lebanese people voice anger and sorrow over the widening conflict with Israel. As the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah exploded further Tuesday, Lebanese people scrambled to stay out of the violence. In recent days, more than 1,000 have been killed nationwide and nearly 1 million displaced.

Other must reads

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

For your downtime

In Silver Lake, newly opened Barr Seco is a design-forward hot spot with affordably priced aperitivi and natural wines.

(Drew Escriva )

Going out

• 🥂 Planning a romantic date? Here are 13 restaurants in L.A. where couples can dine under $100 (before tax and tip).
• 🎞️ This year’s AFI Fest will host the world premiere of Robert Zemeckis’ “Here,” which reunites him with “Forrest Gump” stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright.
• 🧩 Beyond Fest will feature a 20th anniversary screening of the first “Saw” movie with actor Tobin Bell, aka Jigsaw.

Staying in

And finally … a great photo

Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they’re important to you.

Today’s great photo is from Kelsey Wittels of Truckee: the Sierra Nevada mountains — “the essence of California” — near Emerald Bay.

Kelsey writes: “Emerald Bay in Lake Tahoe encapsulates so many natural elements of California: a crystal clear alpine lake, towering granite walls, a deep snow pack, and a long and diverse history of native Americans, settlers, poets, and explorers.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Defne Karabatur, fellow
Andrew Campa, Sunday reporter
Hunter Clauss, multiplatform editor
Christian Orozco, assistant editor
Stephanie Chavez, deputy metro editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

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