Santa Barbara County braces for prolonged ‘dangerously hot’ heat wave

It might be spooky season, but even with Halloween coming up fast, it’s not quite sweater weather yet.

Instead, Santa Barbara County is gearing up to face a week-long intense heatwave with temperatures forecast to reach up to 105 degrees in Santa Barbara County.

The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning starting Friday that will remain in effect until next Thursday, Oct. 8, citing “dangerously hot conditions.”

Devin Black, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told the News-Press that this heat wave doesn’t have any correlation with the developing El Niño season. The cause is a high-pressure system to the east of Santa Barbara. 

Black also said that there should be some relief from the extreme heat by next weekend, though temperatures will still remain high. 

The dry heat also sparks risks for fires. Black said these sorts of conditions have seen a history of fast-moving, plume dominated wildfires—though forecasters do not predict widespread strong winds for this heatwave. For that reason, the National Weather Service is unlikely to issue a red flag warning.

The National Weather Service said hot temperatures are likely to continue into the second week of October. If extreme heat prevails, meteorologists may extend the warning past next Thursday.  

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