Extreme heat wave will worsen today, forecasters say

1/21

Randy Thomas of Vacaville, Calif., tries to fry an egg on the salt flats in Death Valley’s Badwater Basin. He drove there to experience the heat. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

2/21

Sarah Mason, left, and Lance Lindsey, both from Los Angeles, and Joey Teixeira of Honolulu have their picture taken with of a thermometer -- showing 132 degrees -- at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center in Death Valley. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

3/21

Randy Thomas, left, of Vacaville, Calif., helps Andreas Kinnen from Germany hold up a thermometer in Death Valley’s Badwater Basin. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

4/21

Conchi Almanza takes a photo of Mar Rodriguez in front of a digital thermometer at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center in Death Valley. The two tourists from Spain were likely to experience history Sunday with record temperatures forecast. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

5/21

Rafael Artsrunyan, 2, splashes in the William Mulholland Memorial Fountain in Los Feliz. (Bret Hartman / For The Times)

6/21

During the heat wave, children swim at the LA84 Foundation/John C. Argue Swim Stadium pool in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park neighborhood. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

7/21

Children cool off in the swimming pool in the Exposition Park neighborhood. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

8/21

Leslie, Ernesto and Sharai Najera -- 7, 6 and 7, respectively -- shade themselves as they walk along Broadway in Los Angeles’ Chinatown. (Susannah Kay / Los Angeles Times)

9/21

David Murillio, 8, left, and Joshua Rodriguez, 9, cool off in a two-story inflatable pool in Boyle Heights. The boys were on their way to Pecan Recreation Center when they saw that their neighbors had rented the pool and jumped in. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

10/21

Pedestrians with cold drinks stroll past a window display of bathing suits at the Looksy Couture Boutique in Palm Springs. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

11/21

A decorative sun in the window of the Cocky Cactus gift shop hints at the heat on the streets of Palm Springs. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

12/21

Palm Springs resident Mike Cruz cools off with a Coke in the air-conditioned Raspados Colima ice cream shop along Highway 111 in Cathedral City, where temperatures hovered around 110 degrees Friday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

13/21

Leonardo Zenaidi, 5, plays in the fountain at Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles as temperatures continue to climb Friday. (Sydney Stewart / Los Angeles Times)

14/21

Gabby Iglesias plays with her 4-month-old daughter McKayla at Grand Park¿s Arthur J. Will Memorial Fountain. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

15/21

A marine layer still hovers over Zuma Beach in Malibu on Thursday afternoon. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

16/21

Mercedes Lopez, 2, relaxes in the shady part of the wading area in Grand Park. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

17/21

Next to Echo Park Lake, Mishelle Parry reads in the shade as an ice cream vendor walks by. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

18/21

A woman walks dogs past a fireworks stand in Santa Ana. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

19/21

A man walks along the sand in Long Beach on Thursday morning as sun breaks through the marine layer. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

20/21

Rosie Melendez, 9, strikes a pose as she jumps into a small pool in Boyle Heights. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

21/21

Greg Nunez helps Raiders Youth Cheer, a civic youth group, set up a fireworks stand in Ventura County. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

By Joseph Serna and Samantha Schaefer

June 29, 2013 8:38 AM PT

California remains in the grip of a heat wave that threatens to bring record temperatures to the state this weekend.

On Friday, several records were set, both for high temperatures and for hottest low temperatures. And this weekend is supposed to be even hotter.

On Saturday, the National Weather Service warned that temperatures could climb to 120 degrees in some desert areas, 100 to 115 in valleys, 100 to 105 in lower mountains and 80-95 in coastal areas.

Several agencies opened cooling centers — air-conditioned facilities where the public can escape the heat — around Los Angeles County. For information about the centers, call 211, or check out an interactive map of the centers online.

Much of the state is under a heat warning at least through Sunday.

PHOTOS: Heat wave in the Southland

Temperature records in Palmdale and Lancaster, currently 113 and 114 degrees, respectively, could also fall this weekend, National Weather Service specialist Stuart Seto said.

The last significant heat wave to hit Southern California was four years ago, Seto said. In 2009, Southern Californians baked in unrelenting heat for two weeks.

In Los Angeles, the heat is a particular concern to firefighters because it comes in a year of record dry conditions that have already sparked several major brush fires across the region.

Plus, fireworks went on sale in some areas beginning Friday, adding another fire danger. Fireworks can be sold in 295 designated communities in the state through the Fourth of July.

Many weather experts this weekend will keep a special eye on Death Valley.

Across the Furnace Creek Resort in Death Valley, sighs of “God, it’s hot,” can be heard in a variety of languages.

International visitors flock to the motel in Furnace Creek, where the hottest temperature in the world -- 134 degrees -- was recorded nearly 100 years ago, on July 10, 1913.

“It’s very warm, and people are coming here to see what it feels like,” said Ann Wegner, executive administrative assistant for the resort. “I don’t think anybody can really be prepared.

“Even if the air is blowing, it’s hot,” she said, comparing the breeze to air coming out of a hot oven.

Temperatures in Death Valley are expected to reach 129 degrees Sunday and Monday, breaking the record for the hottest June temperature -- 128 degrees, set June 29, 1994, said Chris Stachelski, a weather service meteorologist based in Las Vegas.

Death Valley is typically about 12 degrees warmer than Las Vegas, with normal high temperatures hovering around 114 degrees and rising to about 115 at the beginning of July, he said.

An excessive heat warning is in place for rangers and visitors to the Death Valley National Park. People going to or through Death Valley should travel during the coolest parts of the day and have water and food with them in case of a breakdown. Travelers should be prepared for the environment in the event something happens that strands them, Stachelski said.

Those who venture out to sightsee should avoid long walks, especially during the hottest part of the day; wear sunscreen; stay hydrated; and know their limits. Visitors should go to the coolest parts of the park, which are at higher elevations, Stachelski said. The elderly, small children and those with medical issues should stay indoors.

“If you’re not used to that kind of heat, after a while you can succumb to the elements,” he said.

In Death Valley, July is the month that statistically has the most deaths and injuries such as dehydration. The people most likely to get injured are those who don’t know their limits, wander and become disoriented, he said.

“Don’t challenge yourself,” Stachelski said.

The last recorded heat-related death in the area was July 26, 2009; statistics for later than 2011 were not available. Most heat-related deaths involved people 60 and older.

July is likely to have a “surplus of heat” as well, with a 38% chance for above-normal temperatures, Stachelski said.

At the Furnace Creek Resort, there’s not much activity, Wegner said. Guests are staying by the pool and indoors. This weekend, the resort will have cool-down stations and misters out for visitors.

For those going on day trips, Wegner said, remember that “nothing works in this kind of heat.” Cars overheat and cellphone service is limited, she said, so let someone know where you’re going and don’t go too far away.

On the bright side, at least there’s no humidity, she said with a laugh.

ALSO:

L.A. Council extends LAFD plan to staff extra ambulances

Prop 8: Gay marriages can resume in California, court rules

Heat wave settles over Western U.S., bakes Southern California