While the September scorcher heats up most of the neighborhoods across Southern California, no neighborhood knows heat better than Woodland Hills.
After the National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning for the west San Fernando Valley neighborhood through next Monday, those who live and work in the area saw the temperature go up to 119 degrees Friday.
“This is a bit much right now," Kandace Wharry, who lives in Woodland Hills, said as she laughed.
There’s a geographic reason that Woodland Hills, which was also named the hottest neighborhood in all of Los Angeles by the New York Times, is routinely placed at the top of the “temperatures list” when the mercury starts rising, NBC Los Angeles’ meteorologist Shanna Mendiola said.
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“Woodland Hills is located just on the other side of the Santa Monica Mountains. It’s kind of like a heat pocket,” Mendiola said.
Unlike other parts of the San Fernando Valley, the mountains perfectly block sea breezes making their way inland from Malibu.
“It has to wind its way through the mountains. And by the time it gets here, the air is hot,” the meteorologist said.
An air quality alert was also in effect in Woodland Hills and other parts of the Valley as there are elevated levels of ozone, the predominant summertime pollutant.
Ozone air pollution can cause respiratory health problems, including trouble breathing, asthma attacks, and lung damage. Children, older adults, and people with asthma or COPD may be more sensitive to the health effects of ozone, according to the National Weather Service.
