LOS ANGELES _ Heat records were set Monday across Southern California as temperatures soared before Tuesday's World Series opener at Dodger Stadium.
Downtown Los Angeles hit 102 degrees, Long Beach 105, Burbank 101 and Oxnard 104, according to the National Weather Service, all new highs for the day.
Forecasters said that Tuesday was also likely to see sweltering conditions that could set new records. Downtown L.A. and other parts of the Los Angeles Basin are expected to see triple-digit heat, with the Los Angeles Dodgers-Houston Astros series set to begin at Dodger Stadium around 5 p.m. Pacific time.
The National Weather Service on Monday issued a red-flag warning through Wednesday, saying the high temperatures and Santa Ana winds will "bring the most dangerous fire weather conditions that Southwest California has seen in the past few years."
Should a fire break out, "there will be the potential for very rapid fire spread ... and extreme fire behavior that could lead to a significant threat to life and property," the weather service said.
Southern California's hot and dry conditions come as firefighters begin to stand down from a series of massive wildfires that devastated Northern California's wine country, claiming more than 40 lives and taxing resources.
Stoked at times by 50-mph winds, there have been 18 large wildfires in Northern California that have displaced about 100,000 people and destroyed roughly 7,700 homes and other buildings since Oct. 8, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
"This is a very unusual late season heat wave and should not be taken lightly," the weather service said.
There will also be elevated fire danger across Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties through Tuesday, especially in the Central Coast, forecasters said.
