Winter heat wave sends temperatures into the 90s in Southern California

LOS ANGELES (AP) — With spring still a week away, it was already starting to feel like summer Thursday in Southern California as temperatures topped 90 degrees (32 Celsius) — an unusual March heat wave that forecasters warned could put people at higher risk for illness.

It's expected to be about 20 degrees warmer than normal for mid-March through Friday, the National Weather Service said. Officials opened cooling centers and urged residents to drink a lot of water and avoid outdoor activities during the daytime.

The winter heat wave comes from a combination of high pressure and a lack of cooling winds blowing in from the Pacific Ocean, said Bryan Lewis, a meteorologist at the weather service's office for Los Angeles.

“The nation’s air conditioner, as we like to call it, is essentially shut off right now,” Lewis said Thursday. “We’ll likely tie or break several temperature records all across LA County."

The hottest day around Los Angeles will be Thursday, with the mercury hitting 91 degrees (32.7 Celsius) shortly after noon in some neighborhoods. It could reach 95 degrees (35 Celsius) in the San Fernando Valley, Lewis said. Temperatures are typically around 70 (21 Celsius).

Workers doing outdoor construction will have plenty of drinking water and electrolyte packets available to stay hydrated. Shade structures were erected Thursday at a job site near LA's MacArthur Park and overheated workers were encouraged to sit in air conditioned vehicles to cool down, said supervisor Ron Marsh.

“If somebody doesn't feel well, we tell them to take breaks," Marsh said. “We do take it very seriously.”

Zack Marquez, who uses a wheelchair, was taking care of errands Wednesday before it got too hot in LA's Koreatown neighborhood.

“Gotta stay hydrated and stay in the shade,” he said.

A sea breeze on Friday should cool down the coast slightly, but inland areas will still swelter, forecasters said.

Celebrities are streaming into Los Angeles ahead of Sunday’s Oscars, with a bevy of events this week taking advantage of the concentration of stars. But the worst of the weather should be over in time for the ceremony.

The rest of the state will also see hotter-than-normal weather starting next week. Temperatures could top 90 (32 Celsius) on Monday around San Francisco and in the Sacramento area.

A street vendor uses an egg carton to shield from from during an unseasonably hot day at MacArthur Park on Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

A woman covers herself from the sun while handing out fliers during an unseasonably hot day at MacArthur Park on Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

People cover themselves from the heat with umbrellas while waiting at a food distribution site Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

People cover themselves from the heat with umbrellas while waiting to receive food items at a donation site Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

People cover themselves from the heat with umbrellas while waiting at a food distribution site Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Food is distributed at a donation site during an unseasonably warm day Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House wants to build an underground center to provide security screening for visitors, the latest step in the Trump administration’s plan to overhaul the grounds.

Plans, including renderings of the 33,000-square-foot (3,066 square meter) center, were included on the preliminary agenda released on Friday for the April meeting of a federal commission that approves construction on federal land in Washington.

The screening facility would be built beneath Sherman Park, which is located southeast of the White House and directly south of the Treasury building.

The park had for a long time been the place where White House tourists and guests lined up for security checks before they cleared a series of trailer-type structures and walked to the East Wing entrance. President Donald Trump tore down the East Wing last fall to build a ballroom. Visitors currently line up on 15th Street at the corner of Lafayette Park.

The new screening facility would have seven lanes to ease processing and reduce wait times. Construction could begin as early as August, according to the plans, as the White House said it wants the facility operating by July 2028, six months before Trump's term ends.

The monument of Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman in the center of the park would not be removed, according to plans for the project, which is a collaboration of the Executive Office of the President, the U.S. Secret Service and the National Park Service, which manages the White House grounds.

The National Capital Planning Commission, which oversees federal construction, planned to discuss the proposal at its April 2 meeting, according to the tentative agenda circulated Friday.

Also on that meeting agenda is a debate and a final vote on plans by the Republican president to build a 90,000-square-foot building, including a large ballroom, where the East Wing stood.

FILE - The White House is seen Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)