California faces fire risk and triple-digit temperatures due to the heat wave that is sweeping across Southwest.

Californias summer is in full swing after an unusually wet and cloudy winter. A heat wave, which has been sweltering the Southwest of the United States for weeks now, brings high temperatures near triple-digits as well as increased wildfire risks.

National Weather Service warns that on Friday and through the weekend, Californians should expect the hottest weather this year in central and southern California.

The forecasters stated that the majority of midday temperatures were expected to exceed 100 degrees. Desert areas may reach up 120. Temperatures could stay in the 80s overnight. The excessive heat warning was extended to Sunday in the counties of Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo.

“Please plan accordingly, this is not the time to be hiking or be outside for long durations,” the weather service`s LA office said on Twitter. “If you need to work outside, shift hours to the early morning, take frequent breaks and hydrate!”

The Division of Occupational Safety & Health reminded employers to comply with regulations that mandate outdoor workers receive water, shade and frequent breaks for cooling off. The state will be performing spot checks at work sites to make sure the rules are being followed, said Jeff Killip with the Division of Occupational Safety & Health.

The National Weather Service announced Wednesday that more than 11 million Americans were subject to extreme heat warnings, watches, and advisories across the U.S.

The forecasters warned that the heatwave is dangerous for everyone, but especially elderly, homeless and vulnerable people. As a dome of high pressure moves from Texas west, the heat may continue into next week. For more than 12 days, Arizona temperatures reached 110 degrees (43.33 C).

A horse race near California’s capital was canceled due to animal welfare concerns.

The California wildfire season is intensifying in spite of hot, dry weather, with several blazes breaking out across the state during this past week. This was confirmed by Secretary Wade Crowfoot from the Natural Resources Agency.

“As we get deeper into the summer and vegetation that grew up during the wet spring dries out, we are seeing an uptick in wildfire activity,” Crowfoot said Wednesday during a state media briefing.

Crowfoot said global climate change was “supercharging” heat waves. California’s $400 million heat extreme action plan is designed to protect workers from the sun, assist vulnerable communities and help local communities open cooling centers.

According to officials, the power grid of the state, which has suffered from widespread blackouts over the past few years, was strengthened. It should now be able to handle this latest heatwave. California Independent System Operator which operates the electricity grid said on July 1 that its battery storage capability reached 5,600 megawatts, enough to supply power for more than 3,8 million homes up to 4 hours.

“The batteries being added to the grid are charged during the day, when solar power is abundant, and dispatched primarily in the evening hours when demand is still high and the sun is setting and solar capacity diminishing,” Cal ISO said in a statement.

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