Heat wave to continue scorching Southern California

Southern California can expect little relief Friday as a blistering heat wave continues into the weekend.

Temperatures are expected to edge down only slightly heading into the weekend, and will remain well above what’s normal for this time of year, said Kurt Kaplan, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

“It’ll still be very, very hot,” he said.

In the inland valleys and foothills, temperatures on Friday could reach 106 degrees. Potential highs of 107 degrees prompted the National Weather Service to issue a heat advisory for Orange County and the Inland Empire as the Southland enters Day 3 of a sweltering heat wave.

In Los Angeles County, a heat alert issued by public health officials remained in effect Friday with temperatures expected to hit triple-digits in the valleys for the third day in a row. The combination of high temperatures and humidity will also reach “critical levels,” the weather service warned.

Highs were expected to hit the 80s at the beaches, and reach into the 90s in coastal inland areas.

Overnight lows will also continue to be much warmer than normal, with many inland areas remaining in the 70s. Some foothill locations may not see overnight lows drop below 80 degrees, the weather service said.

Daytime temperatures are expected edge down slightly over the weekend, but remain “well above normal,” Kaplan said.

Temperatures won’t settling down into normal territory until Tuesday, although when humidity is factored in, it will still feel “pretty uncomfortable,” he added.

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jason.wells@latimes.com

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