Beach hazards alert issued amid dangerous rip currents, chance of lightning at LA County beaches

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Southern California will see its hottest days of the year this week, when a blistering heat wave will send temperatures soaring above 100 degrees in some areas. The monsoon-like weather is also bringing dangerous rip currents, prompting a beach hazards alert. There is also a chance of thunderstorms with lightning.

There are already surfers in the water, and people camped out on the beach for some fun on Monday, but there are also some concerns. Beachgoers could see thunderstorms, high surf and some coastal flooding as we head into the next several days.

The National Weather Service (NWS) says dangerous rip currents and higher surf at beaches could be expected through Wednesday. Areas they mentioned to keep a watchful eye over include San Luis Obispo County beaches, Ventura County beaches, Santa Barbara County beaches, Malibu coast and Los Angeles County beaches.

Capt. Bono Barnes of the L.A. County Fire Lifeguards says that with the heat wave, more people have been flocking to the beaches, which in turn has led to more rescues.

One of the main reasons people have been rescued more is because swimmers get caught in rip currents, Capt. Bono said. He added that just over this past weekend -- from Friday to Sunday -- they had 255 ocean rescues. He says that getting caught in a rip current could happen to anyone -- you can be standing on a sandbar and get swept out.

"The most important thing to do if you find yourself caught in a rip current is to stay calm. That's the biggest piece of advice is stay calm. Flip on your back and float. The wave or the water will only pull you just outside of the surf line. And if you feel like you're strong enough to swim, you can swim parallel to the shore to get yourself out of that rip current and then back in. But if you're not comfortable swimming in, or you don't feel like you're strong enough. You can just wave your hands, and we'll come and get you."

Lifeguards say they're also keeping an eye out for lightning.

The NWS has issued a beach hazards statement due to a 10-20% chance of lightning across L.A. County beaches.

For those going to the beach, Capt. Bono highly recommends checking in with one of the lifeguard stations upon arrival. They will give you the latest updates and information regarding the swimming conditions in the water and the weather.

Temperatures are expected to climb gradually over the next couple of days, peaking on Wednesday and Thursday before dropping back to more normal summertime levels heading into next weekend, according to the NWS.

A heat advisory remained in place Monday for most of the region, and an extreme heat warning will take effect at 10 a.m. Tuesday for many areas, with forecasters predicting temperatures potentially reaching 110 degrees. The extreme heat warning will be in effect until 8 p.m. Thursday, covering much of the Southland.

An extreme heat warning will also be in place for inland Orange County areas from 10 a.m. Wednesday to 8 p.m. Thursday, with a heat advisory in place during the same time frame for Orange County coastal areas.

Authorities advised people to prevent heat-related health effects by drinking plenty of non-alcoholic fluids, staying out of the sun during the warmest times of the day, taking shelter in air-conditioned spaces if possible and checking up on at-risk friends, relatives and neighbors. Children and pets should never be left in a parked vehicle even with the windows cracked, as temperatures can heat up to deadly levels within minutes.

City News Service contributed to this report.