Southern California has been hit by a record-breaking heat wave this Friday reaching triple-digit temperatures in some parts of the state.

Los Angeles baked under 108-degree heat Friday afternoon that's expected to continue into Saturday before dipping into the high 90s on Sunday.

San Diego County recorded a scorching 112 degrees Fahrenheit at 11am, according to the National Weather Service. In Woodland Hills the heat reached 115 degrees and is expected to reach 117.

The heat led to three brush fires as well. One blazed along 100 acres north of San Bernardino in the 110 degree heat.

The second burned in the Angeles National Forest in the San Gabriel and Sierra Pelona Mountains. And a third raged in Alpine, California.

Locals took to social media to post a fire that burst in Alpine, California.

Officials are urging residents to take shelter and stay indoors given the blazing triple-digit heat.

The heat not only poses a threat to people but also to the environment leading to increased fire danger.

Minor heat-related illnesses, officials warn, can also worsen quickly and turn fatal in the heat blast.

'Extreme heat can be dangerous - especially for young people and seniors,' Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement.

The heat is caused by a 'humongous' dome of high pressure located throughout Arizona, Nevada and Utah.

'Today will be one for the record books. Almost all if not all of the daily records will fall today. It is likely that several monthly records will fall and it's possible that one or two all-time records will be made today,' the Los Angeles region weather office said.

The heat hit the state early in the morning starting in South California with 80 degree temperatures recorded before dawn.

By 3am it was already 98 degrees in Gaviota near Santa Barbara.

The temperatures in valley around Los Angeles led to the possibility of unhealthy air quality. Air pollution regulators said the conditions were likely to produce an atmospheric inversion that would increase ground-level ozone, which is linked to a host of respiratory troubles ranging from trouble breathing to asthma attacks.

Officials say Sunday could lead to thunderstorms with the arrival of seasonal monsoonal moisture in the air.</s>(CNN) Thousands of Los Angeles residents were left without power Saturday morning after a heat wave prompted high electricity demand throughout the city.

"Friday's record-setting heat led to unprecedented peak electricity demand," according to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). High demand caused power outages throughout city and left 34,500 customers in the dark -- without fans or air conditioning.

The department said that figure accounts for about 2.5% of their 1.5 million customers.

Scorching heat has descended upon California and parts of the southwest after a heat wave swept across Canada earlier in the week, killing dozens in the province of Quebec , according to Canadian health officials.

Many areas in California on Friday broke their daily high temperature records, according to CNN meteorologists. Downtown Los Angeles reached a high of 108 degrees, breaking its previous daily record of 94 degrees, which was set in 1992.

Read More</s>The city of Pointe-Claire is taking steps to help citizens cope with the heat wave in Montreal.

The city is notifying residents about air-conditioned municipal buildings open to the public during regular hours:
• Aquatic Centre (60 Maywood Ave.): 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.
• Central Library (100 Douglas-Shand Ave.): 10 a.m. to 9 p.m, Monday to Friday.
• Bob-Birnie Arena (58 Maywood Ave.): 7 a.m. to midnight, every day.

The Aquatic Centre has extended its family swim hours. Until Thursday, July 5: 1:30 to 9:30 p.m., in the 50-m (six-lane) pool.

Admission is free for residents with a MULTI Card.

There will also be extended opening hours until Friday, July 6, at the Valois Park splash pad, at 40 Baie-de-Valois Ave. The splash pad will be open from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

The city’s eco-grazing sheep at Edgewater Park will stay at the farm.

Thursday evening’s outdoor activity will take place indoors at 6:30 p.m. at the Noël-Legault Community Centre, 245 Lakeshore Rd.

Other recommendations for staying cool include taking a cool bath or shower, spending a few hours in an air-conditioned shopping mall or by reducing physical activities.

Also remember to drink plenty of water and wear light clothing.

Other West Island and Off-Island cities are also taking measures to help their residents beat the heat.
• Heat wave: 33 Quebecers have died, 18 in Montreal, health officials say
• Hot jobs, cool job: What happens when you can’t escape the weather?
• Five ways to fight lethargy during a heat wave</s>LOS ANGELES (AP) - Forecasters say a Southern California heat wave will be one for the record books.

Most of the normally temperate region is expected to broil in triple digits Friday and Saturday before getting some relief.

The heat is caused by a massive dome of high pressure, which also is expected to spread oppressive conditions into parts of Arizona, Nevada and Utah. Hot weather has stoked wildfires in the U.S. West.

Early morning joggers try to beat the heat as they run along Echo Park Lake near downtown Los Angeles on Friday, July 6, 2018. Forecasters say temperatures will soar into triple digits throughout almost all of Southern California as a brief but intense heat wave broils the region. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

In Southern California, the National Weather Service says numerous places saw temperatures above 80 degrees (27 degrees Celsius) before dawn. At 3 a.m., it was 98 degrees in Gaviota on the Santa Barbara County coast, about 125 miles (201 kilometers) west of Los Angeles.

Officials are urging seniors and the very young to use public facilities designated as "cooling centers."

Early morning joggers try to beat the heat as they run along Echo Park Lake near downtown Los Angeles on Friday, July 6, 2018. Forecasters say temperatures will soar into triple digits throughout almost all of Southern California as a brief but intense heat wave broils the region. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)</s>LOS ANGELES — Thousands of Los Angeles residents were left without power Saturday morning after a heat wave prompted high electricity demand throughout the city.

“Friday’s record-setting heat led to unprecedented peak electricity demand,” according to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). High demand caused power outages throughout city and left 34,500 customers in the dark — without fans or air conditioning.

The department said that figure accounts for about 2.5% of their 1.5 million customers.

Scorching heat has descended upon California and parts of the southwest after a heat wave swept across Canada earlier in the week, killing dozens in the province of Quebec, according to Canadian health officials.

Many areas in California on Friday broke their daily high temperature records, according to CNN meteorologists. Downtown Los Angeles reached a high of 108 degrees, breaking its previous daily record of 94 degrees, which was set in 1992.

UCLA also broke its previous daily temperature record, where thermometers read 111 degrees.

Since the start of the heat wave on Friday, LADWP has restored power to 14,500 customers, it said in a statement. But LADWP warned customers they should prepare to be without power for 12 to 24 hours, “and possibly even longer due to the high number of small localized outages.”

The peak energy demand level on Friday was 6,256 megawatts, LADWP said, a new record for a day in July, beating out the previous record of 6,165 megawatts, set on July 24, 2006.

LADWP also asked customers to reduce their electricity use throughout Saturday afternoon and into the evening.

“LADWP crews worked throughout the night to restore power and will work around the clock until every affected customer has service restored,” it added.

But according to CNN meteorologists, more daily high temperature records were expected to either be tied or broken on Saturday. Temperatures along the coast could reach up to 100 degrees, while those farther inland could see highs of up to 120 degrees.

More than 15 million people were under excessive heat warnings on Saturday throughout Southern California and Nevada.

The heat is also exacerbating conditions fueling wildfires in California, which have claimed one life and forced hundreds to evacuate from their homes.</s>Members of #LADWP's power crews finishing up the replacement of underground equipment this morning to restore power to an apartment building. #LAHeat pic.twitter.com/wFyhqvR9zu

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said crews continued to work on restoring power for the thousands of residents who lost power during the heat wave. Lauren Lyster reports for the KTLA 5 Morning News on July 8, 2018.</s>Some 34,500 Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers experienced outages as of 8 a.m., according to the agency. Friday's record-breaking temperatures led to "unprecedented peak electricity demand" in the city, the department said.

"We have extra crews working hard on multiple outages during this heat storm. We really appreciate our customers’ patience and understanding," the the agency said in a tweet.

Some Twitter users said they have not had electricity for at least 12 hours.

At least 5,800 customers were impacted in Westlake, 4,400 in Koreatown, 2,000 in Beverly Grove and 3,000 in Encino, according to LADWP.

The agency urged residents to reduce their electricity use between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturday.

Southern California Edison also reported power outages affecting more than 8,000 customers in L.A. County, 2,159 in Orange County and 1,251 in San Bernardino County.

The region had record-breaking heat on Friday, with downtown L.A., Burbank, Van Nuys and Woodland Hills reaching triple-digit temperatures.

Slightly lower temperatures were forecasted for the weekend. An excessive heat warning was set to expire at 9 p.m. Saturday.</s>LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Tens of thousands of people are still without power Sunday morning as Southern California swelters under record breaking heat.

The outages are scattered across the region in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Utility workers have been working throughout the night to restore electricity as fast as possible.

But the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power says it could take up to 48 hours or more to fully restore power.

In all, more than 37,000 DWP customers are without power and 9,600 SCE customers are also without power.

The DWP says Saturday’s demand is the second-highest of any weekend day in the city’s history.</s>As triple-digit temperatures blanketed the region Friday, power companies from the Inland Empire to Los Angeles worked to keep services operating smoothly. But by late afternoon on Friday that was becoming a challenge.

Early in the day, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power officials said it has “adequate resources” to meet a higher power demand from the department’s customers over the coming days.

“We’re not planning any sort of brownouts right now,” said LADWP spokesman Albert Rodriguez.

By late Friday afternoon, a map on the department’s website was dotted with power outages throughout the L.A. area, from Sylmar to Westchester. An alert declared that the DWP was “experiencing a high volume of outages,” and that crews were working to restore power.

Across Southern California, in Riverside, utility officials were also monitoring for straing on thier system’s capacity.

“This is the first part of the heat storm, and right now our system is behaving and cooperating properly,” said Riverside Public Utilities (RPU) Company Assistant General Manager George Hanson.

Some programs are already in place to help lighten the load.

The Power Partners program under RPU works in similar ways to the LADWP’s Demand Response Program. From the months of July until September, local business partners agree to reduce energy use during peak demand times as requested by RPU.

DWP officials said this heat wave — which kicked in on Friday with record-shattering temperatures and will continue on Saturday— prompted the utility to prepare for a demand of 6,000 megawatts of power. By comparison, the average energy demand over the last three summers on the DWP’s system peaked at 4,350 megawatts during the day, officials said. The department’s record peak was 6,502 megawatts at 4:15 p.m. on Aug. 31, 2017.

LADWP’s Demand Response Program also helps large businesses and institutions such as the Los Angeles Unified School District “temper down” some of their operations during times of peak power demand.

Power officials across the region were urging customers to conserve energy throughout the afternoon and early evening.

“As we prepare ourselves for extreme weather conditions, we remind our customers to conserve electricity, when possible, while staying safe,” said Martin Adams, LADWP Chief Operating Officer in a statement. “Conserving energy not only can help manage your costs, but it also reduces potential strains on our power grid, which can be caused by overworked air conditioners and other appliances.”
• To help conserve energy, officials recommended:— adjust air conditioning thermostats to 78 degrees to reduce energy usage during the hottest hours of the day when A/C systems have to work hardestto cool;– reduce power use during the afternoon/early evening hours from 2 to 9 p.m., when energy use is highest;– visit the local library, recreation center, mall, movie theaters or any other air conditioned gathering place to give your air conditioner a rest;– limit use of major appliances during peak hours of the day;– use washing machines, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners and other heavy appliances during the early morning hours or during evening hours;– close window curtains, shades or blinds during the heat of the day to reduce the extra heat from direct sunlight through windows;– ventilate homes in the early morning and evening by opening windows and doors to clear out the heat and allow cooler air to circulate;– turn off lights and other electrical equipment when they are not inuse; and– unplug “energy vampires” like cell phone chargers, DVD players, microwave ovens and other appliances that use energy even when not in use.

No major outages were reported, but there were several that dotted the region.

Southern California Edison, which serves a huge swath of Southern California, including Orange County, L.A. County and San Bernardino County, said extra crews will be on call and additional staff will monitor the impact on the electrical grid, officials said in a press release.

Planned outages scheduled during the “extreme high heat” are looked at on a case-by-case basis, and after considering public safety and reliability, some maintenance outages might be postponed to a later date, according to the press release.

“Our crews are ready to respond to incidents that may occur due to this record heat wave,“ said SCE Director Tony Edeson in the press release. “Our No. 1 priority is the safety of our customers and employees. We want to remind our customers to stay away from downed power lines and to call 911 immediately.”

SCE customers are advised to call (800) 611-1911 regarding any outage reports or inquiries. They can also use the SCE outages app at sce.com/outages or visit their webpage and social media sites sce.com/staysafe, twitter.com/sce and facebook.com/sce.</s>(Reuters) - A dangerous heat wave will continue to bake Southern California on Saturday, hitting temperatures well above 110 degrees across the region and setting all-time records in several places.

High temperatures will exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 Celsius) in Los Angeles and San Diego on Saturday, the National Weather Service said in a series of excessive heat warnings and advisories.

“An excessive heat warning means an extended period of dangerously hot temperatures will occur with increased occurrences of heat illnesses likely,” the service said.

It was 111 degrees at one point on Friday at the University of California Los Angeles, breaking the all-time high temperature record of 109 degrees set in 1939, the weather service reported on Twitter.

That was still 6 degrees cooler than the record 117 degrees set in Woodland Hills, a Los Angeles neighborhood, at about 1 p.m. local time on Friday, the service said.

Cooling centers will be open across the Los Angeles area and other California communities. Los Angeles officials told residents they should also visit libraries, recreation centers, senior centers and museums to stay cool.
High electricity demand during a heat wave in Los Angeles leaves 34,500 residents without power, some for up to 24 hours.