SAN DIEGO — San Diego County health officials on Friday urged residents to take precautions -- particularly with children, the elderly and pets -- during this weekend's heat wave.
The mercury in the county rose into the mid-90s while triple-digit temperatures were expected in desert areas Friday afternoon. The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory that will be in effect until 6 p.m. Saturday in the inland valleys, but the heat wave is expected to end Sunday.
A high pressure air mass drifting from inland areas into coastal areas will keep temperatures hot through Saturday, then temperatures will drop on Sunday and Monday, forecasters said.
Highs in the western valleys will drop to the high-80s on Sunday, then the mid-80s on Monday. High temperatures in the deserts will remain around 100 through at least Thursday next week.
Due to the public health order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the county will not be operating the Cool Zones program this weekend but is looking at options for next week. The program designates air-conditioned settings where seniors and others can gather. The sites encourage people to share air conditioning during the heat of the day, lowering individual usage and helping conserve energy for the whole community.
Here are some tips from the the National Weather Service on staying safe outdoors:
- Never leave kids or pets in car
- Avoid strenuous activity during the hardest times of the day
- Don’t drink alcohol or caffeine, but drink plenty of water
- Keep pets indoors or provide plenty of shade and water
- Wear lightweight, light colored, loose clothes
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An extremely high body temperature -- 103 degrees or higher -- dizziness, nausea, confusion and headache are signs of heatstroke or exhaustion. If someone shows these signs, call 911 and begin cooling the individual by moving them to a shaded area, spraying with cool water and fanning them, placing them in a cool shower if they are alert, monitoring body temperature and continue cooling efforts and while not giving the victim fluids to drink.