SoCal's worst heat wave this year: How long will it last and where will be hottest?

The prolonged, dangerous heat wave is expected to begin broiling much of Southern California Wednesday, peaking Thursday and Friday.

A red flag warning, an alert that indicates conditions ripe for explosive fire growth, has been issued for Los Angeles and Ventura counties’ mountains and foothills.

A prolonged and potentially dangerous heat wave is forecast to bake Southern California this week, raising health and fire concerns across the region as forecasters warn this is expected to be the most significant period of hot weather this year, thus far .

Temperatures across interior Southern California will climb dramatically over the next few days, providing little opportunity for overnight relief and creating instability in the atmosphere that can foster extreme fire behavior and growth