LA’s gonna be hot this week, but we’ve likely dodged a bigger heat wave

Hot weather is coming to Southern California (again). But hey, it could have been worse.

Last week, weather models were showing the heat was heading into the stratosphere. But over the weekend, things shifted, and now it looks as though we’re in for a hot-but-not-wild kind of weather event.

According to the National Weather Service, most of L.A. will hang around the 90s, although some places will reach up to 100 degrees. These warmer temperatures will be across the L.A. area through Friday.

The Weather Service issued a heat advisory for much of the Southland, which will be in affect from 11 a.m. Wednesday to 9 p.m. Thursday.

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What changed?

This week's heat wave won't be as bad as the one earlier this month, when it surpassed 100 degrees in multiple areas.

That’s because the longer-term models that meteorologists use to develop the forecast have scaled back temperatures over the last few days.

According to Weather Service meteorologist Kristan Lund, models last week showed Woodland Hills experiencing peak highs at 103 degrees. Now, our warmest areas might just nudge around 100 degrees.

“ That could be [because of] little changes in cloud coverage or weaker offshore flow,” Lund said. “That would typically drive our temperatures warmer.”

The difference may be just a few degrees, but it affects whether we get a heat advisory. That being said, the NWS did issue the advisory for now because of warm overnight lows and a very light offshore flow. Some areas, such as downtown L.A., may be removed from the advisory later.

Temperatures are still higher than a typical May. For example, downtown L.A.’s average high for this time of year normally hangs around the mid-70s.

Are there fire risks?

The National Weather Service says there’s an elevated risk of fires because the heat is coupled with windy and dry conditions.

Humidity is expected to drop in some inland areas to as low as 8% by Wednesday, and gusty winds will blow through Thursday.

Wind gusts could reach 30 to 45 mph over mountains and hilly areas, such as the Antelope Valley and the Santa Susana Mountains.

However, they should slow down by Thursday, with higher temperatures dropping by Friday.