After a brief cooling period across Southern California, an “anomalous” heat wave is set to continue this week, carrying triple-digit temperatures for cities mostly in the Inland Empire. Temperatures around the Inland Empire had already climbed into the low 100s on Wednesday, with an excessive heat warning in effect for much of the area through Monday evening. High temperatures in the San Bernardino County and Riverside County valleys were expected to range from the upper 90s to 105 degrees through Monday. Residents were warned by the National Weather Service that “heat-related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat events” and that people should drink plenty of fluids, stay in air-conditioned rooms, stay out of the sun and check on relatives and neighbors. Cities including Moreno Valley and Redlands had reached highs of 107 and 105 on Wednesday, but would likely cool down slightly, though by only a few degrees, heading into the weekend, said NWS Meteorologist Sebastian Westerink. “This is pretty anomalous feat for October,” Westerink said. “Especially farther inland in the Inland Empire and deserts. We saw Palm Springs hit 117 on Tuesday, an all-time record high for October.” In San Bernardino County, where firefighters were still battling the massive Line and Bridge fires, the high heat could pose a risk for additional brush fires to start. “We’re already dealing with critically dry fuels,” said Eric Sherwin, a spokesperson for the San Bernardino County Fire Department. “Every day that we persist in elevated temperatures, we draw more moisture out of a critically dry fuel bed.” “Elevated temperatures lead to rapid fire growths in new starts and even existing fire perimeters,” Sherwin said. Waffle’s boots are made for scorching hot pavement as owner Esmeralda Hernandez walked him in Santa Ana last month. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) A man keeps shade under a hat in downtown Redlands on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) Show Caption1 of 2Waffle’s boots are made for scorching hot pavement as owner Esmeralda Hernandez walked him in Santa Ana last month. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) Expand In Orange County, temperatures reaching close to triple digits will also be felt in some of the inland cities, including Fullerton and Brea with temperatures in the 90s. “Closer to the coast, we will see temperatures above average but not super significant, about 5 to 10 degrees above average” Westerink said. Temperatures along the Orange County coastline, along with Los Angeles County, will also see a bit more fluctuation in heat over the weekend, with a slight cool down on Friday before climbing back into the mid 80s to low 90s. Inland cities in Los Angeles County will feel the brunt of the heat, hanging around the high 90s and low hundreds. Cities including Woodland Hills and Pasadena, which were in the 90s and low hundreds on Wednesday, were expected dip Thursday and Friday before reaching highs of 104 and 98 on Saturday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Adams. Moving into next week, temperatures were expected to remain around the same, with some slight cooling along the coastal areas to begin Monday or Tuesday. Thursday’s forecast high temperatures Anaheim: 87 Long Beach: 75 Downtown Los Angeles: 88 San Fernando Valley: 102 Mission Viejo: 88 Ontario: 96 Pasadena: 94 San Bernardino: 101 Temecula: 96 Torrance: 82 Redlands: 99 Riverside: 99 Whittier: 91 Source: National Weather Service