A heightened danger of wildfire stemming from hot, dry and windy conditions will threaten the Southland Wednesday and Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
"The very warm and dry conditions coupled with offshore breezes and very dry fuels will bring elevated fire danger to the Southland through Thursday," warned an NWS advisory.
"Of greatest concern will be Wednesday morning through Thursday morning when offshore winds will bring near-critical fire weather to portion of the mountains and valleys."
The hot weather results in part from an upper-level high pressure system combined with an offshore flow expected to gain strength beginning this morning, according to the weather service.
From Wednesday until Thursday morning, offshore winds will gust at between 25 and 35 miles per hour in mountain, valley and coastal areas, according to an NWS advisory.
The NWS forecasts a high of 88 in South Pasadena Thursday, cooling to 80 on Friday and dropping to 75 degrees on Saturday.
At the same time, valley temperatures will range between the mid 90s and low 100s -- 15-20 degrees above normal in some areas. No heat records are expected Wednesday, but some may be set Thursday, even though it will be a few degrees cooler.
