Late-summer heat wave to roast inland San Diego County

An intense late-summer heat wave descended on inland San Diego County Wednesday, generating dangerously high temperatures in some locations into the weekend, forecasters said.

The expected onset of scorching conditions prompted the National Weather Service to issue an extreme-heat warning for local desert communities, effective from 10 a.m. Wednesday to 8 p.m. Saturday. Over the period, daily highs in those areas could reach 110 to 116 degrees.

Across the inland valleys and in the mountains, mercury is likely to climb into the mid-90s to around 100 degrees or a little higher, according to meteorologists. For those locales, the weather service issued a less-urgent heat advisory, slated to run from 10 a.m. Wednesday to 8 p.m. Friday.

Authorities advise people to prevent potential heat-related ill health effects during such acute hot spells by drinking plenty of non-alcoholic fluids, staying out of the sun during the warmest times of the day, taking shelter in air-conditioned spaces if possible and checking up on at-risk friends, relatives and neighbors.

Downtown San Diego can expect patchy fog before 11 a.m. Wednesday, with partly sunny conditions and a high near 79.

Weather officials said that this heat wave "will be followed by a gradual cooling trend with temperatures returning to around average on next Tuesday."

The city of San Diego on Wednesday encouraged residents to take precautions such as limiting outdoor activities to the morning or evening.

San Diego has also activated its Cool Zone procedures, providing safe, cool places to escape the heat throughout the city. Locations include:

• All San Diego Public Library locations during open hours;
• Azalea Recreation Center, 2596 Violet St.;
• Balboa Park Activity Center, 2145 Park Blvd.;
• Canyonside Recreation Center, 12350 Black Mountain Road;
• Kearny Mesa Recreation Center, 3170 Armstrong St.;
• Montgomery Waller Recreation Center, 3020 Coronado Ave.;
• Mountain View Community Center, 641 S. Boundary St.;
• Nobel Recreation Center, 8810 Judicial Drive;
• Pacific Beach Recreation Center, 1405 Diamond St.;
• Rancho Bernardo-Glassman Recreation Center, 18448 West Bernardo Drive; and
• San Carlos Recreation Center, 6445 Lake Badin Ave.

More information about the cool zones can be found at https://www.sandiego.gov/cool-zones.