---
title: "A heat advisory hits Southern California as extreme heat builds this week"
description: "Southern California is heading into a stretch of dangerous heat, with forecasters issuing a heat advisory across much of the region and an extreme heat warning for the deserts, as temperatures build toward a peak midweek before monsoonal moisture brings a chance of showers in the days after."
category: "Los Angeles"
category_url: https://herald.la/category/los-angeles
author: "Valeria Ortiz"
published: 2026-07-08T04:52:00.000Z
updated: 2026-07-08T04:52:00.000Z
canonical: https://herald.la/article/a-heat-advisory-hits-southern-california-as-extreme-heat-builds-this-week
tags: ["weather", "heat-wave", "southern-california", "forecast", "national-weather-service"]
---
# A heat advisory hits Southern California as extreme heat builds this week

Southern California is heading into a stretch of dangerous heat, with forecasters issuing a heat advisory across much of the region and an extreme heat warning for the deserts, as temperatures build toward a peak midweek before monsoonal moisture brings a chance of showers in the days after.

The first serious heat of the stretch is arriving in Southern California, and forecasters are urging residents to take it seriously, especially inland and in the deserts, where the highest temperatures are expected.

## What's in effect

The National Weather Service has posted a heat advisory covering much of the region, with a more serious extreme heat warning for desert communities, [ABC7 reported](https://abc7.com/post/los-angeles-weather-temperatures-southern-california/58983/). The advisories run into the latter part of the week, and the hottest days are expected to be Wednesday and Thursday.

## How hot, and where

The heat will be felt unevenly across Southern California's varied geography. Near the coast, highs are forecast to reach around 90 degrees, uncomfortable but not extreme. The inland valleys and the Inland Empire will run hotter, into the low 100s, while the deserts are the real concern: forecasters expect readings well into the 110s in places like Palm Springs. These are forecasts, and exact numbers can shift, but the pattern, hottest inland and in the deserts, is the consistent theme.

## Why it's a health issue

Heat at these levels is a health risk, not just a discomfort, particularly for older adults, young children, people with chronic conditions and anyone without reliable air-conditioning. Officials during heat events typically urge people to hydrate, limit strenuous activity during the hottest hours, check on vulnerable neighbors and never leave children or pets in parked cars. Cooling centers often open in affected communities when temperatures climb this high.

## Relief, and rain, later

There is a break in sight. As the peak heat eases toward the weekend, forecasters are watching for monsoonal moisture to move into the region, bringing a chance of showers and thunderstorms early next week, [ABC7 reported](https://abc7.com/post/los-angeles-weather-temperatures-southern-california/58983/). How much rain actually falls is uncertain, as it often is with summer monsoon setups, but the shift would at least take the edge off the heat. For now, the message from forecasters is straightforward: the next few days will be hot, and the deserts will be dangerously so.