
U.S. Southern California braces for rare heat wave
LOS ANGELES, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Southern California is bracing for a rare heat wave this weekend, with the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) forecasting the highest temperatures of the year from Friday through Sunday.
A heat advisory has been issued for large parts of the region, including the Los Angeles and Ventura County valleys, the Santa Monica Mountains, and the southern Salinas Valley.
Beginning Friday, daytime high temperatures are expected to soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) in many areas, according to the latest forecasts.
The NWS has urged residents to take precautions, including limiting outdoor activities, staying hydrated, and never leaving children or pets in parked vehicles.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Star
a day ago
- The Star
5.0-magnitude quake affects nearly 6000 in China's Yunnan
Rescuers prepare to set up temporary shelters at Baicao village of Eryuan county in Dali Bai autonomous prefecture, Southwest China's Yunnan province, June 5, 2025. - Photo: Xinhua BEIJING: Over 5,900 people were affected by Thursday's (June 5) 5.0-magnitude earthquake in Eryuan county, Yunnan province, and no casualties had been reported as of 11am, according to the local earthquake rescue and relief headquarters. The earthquake struck the county in Dali Bai autonomous prefecture at 4.31am Thursday (Beijing Time), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC). The epicenter was monitored at 26.26 degrees north latitude and 100.03 degrees east longitude. The quake struck at a depth of 10 km, said a report issued by the CENC. The county headquarters in Dali Bai autonomous prefecture stated that 3,936 residents had been evacuated, as Chinese online media outlet ThePaper reported on Thursday afternoon. This drone photo shows rescuers setting up temporary shelters at Baicao village of Eryuan county in Dali Bai autonomous prefecture, Southwest China's Yunnan province, June 5, 2025. - Photo: Xinhua So far, 179 houses were damaged, and roads in Sanying and Niujie townships partially collapsed due to the quake. However, they have now been cleared and reopened to traffic, it said. After the quake, the Yunnan Earthquake Agency initiated a Level Ⅲ emergency response, and a 20-person on-site work team was dispatched in waves to the affected area for loss evaluation and earthquake monitoring. The prefecture and county governments have sent 34 vehicles and 169 people for rescue work. - China Daily/ANN


New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
Muslim pilgrims pray at Mount Arafat in haj apex
MOUNT ARAFAT: Muslim pilgrims prayed atop Mount Arafat on Thursday during the high point of the annual haj pilgrimage, as Saudi officials called on participants to refrain from being outside during the hottest hours of the day. Thousands of pilgrims began to gather before dawn around the hill and the surrounding plain where the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have given his last sermon. While some arrived early to take advantage of the relatively cool morning, carrying colourful umbrellas, many pilgrims will remain for hours of prayers and Quran recitals until the evening in the most arduous portion of the haj. After sunset they will head to Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and the sprawling tent city of Mina, where they will gather pebbles so they can perform the symbolic "stoning of the devil." "This is something that I used to see every year on the TV screen during haj and I always thought: 'I wish I could be here'," said 33-year-old Ali from Pakistan, one of 1.5 million pilgrims who had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage. "I've been trying to get here... for the past 3 years," he added as he gazed at the mount. "I feel very blessed." Hundreds of pilgrims dressed in white dotted the mount itself, with many more at its foot praying or taking pictures. Earlier this week, Saudi authorities called on pilgrims to stay inside their tents between 10am and 4pm on Thursday, when the desert sun is at its harshest. Fans spraying mist and providing cool air were dispersed at the foot of the mount. Temperatures this year have already exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) as one of the world's largest annual religious gatherings, bringing together devotees from around the globe, kicked off earlier this week Officials have beefed up heat mitigation efforts aiming to avoid a repeat of last year's haj, which saw 1,301 pilgrims die as temperatures reached 51.8C. "I came here early to (avoid) the sun and later I will pray inside my tent," said 54-year-old Adel Ismail, from Syria. To make this year's pilgrimage safer, authorities have expanded infrastructure, deployed thousands of extra personnel and relied on an arsenal of high-tech tools to help better manage crowds. Authorities have mobilised more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials, doubling their efforts against heat-related illness following the lethal heatwave of 2024. Shaded areas have been expanded by 50,000 square metres (12 acres), thousands more medics will be on standby, and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed, the haj minister has told AFP. Through tears of joy, Iman Abdel Khaleq said she had wanted to perform the haj for 10 years and was overwhelmed with emotion as she arrived at Arafat. "It's a big dream for me that I had almost given hope up of realising," the woman in her fifties told AFP from the foot of the mount. Authorities said a majority of the deaths in 2024 were among unregistered pilgrims who lacked access to amenities like air-conditioned tents and buses. This year, they have also cracked down on unregistered pilgrims looking to sneak into Makkah, relying on frequent raids, drone surveillance and a barrage of text alerts. Haj permits are allocated to countries on a quota basis and distributed to individuals by a lottery. But even for those who can obtain them, the steep costs prompt many to attempt the haj without a permit, even though they risk arrest and deportation if caught. Saudi Arabia earns billions of dollars a year from the haj, and the lesser pilgrimage known as umrah, undertaken at other times of the year.--AFP


New Straits Times
2 days ago
- New Straits Times
Haj begins with over 1.5 million pilgrims braving scorching 40°C heat
MAKKAH: More than 1.5 million pilgrims joined Islam's most important rite under a beating sun on Wednesday, as the haj kicked off with the Saudi hosts scrambling to avoid last year's 1,000-plus deaths in sweltering heat. With temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), robed pilgrims slowly circled the Kaabah, the black cube at the heart of Makkah's Grand Mosque which is Islam's holiest site. Others arrived en masse in the sprawling tent city of Mina on Makkah's outskirts, where they will stay overnight before the haj's high-point Thursday – prayers on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have delivered his final sermon. "You feel like you're not in this world," Khitam, a 63-year-old pilgrim, told AFP by phone, saying that "before haj, I used to watch the Grand Mosque on TV all day." Before entering Makkah, pilgrims must first enter a state of purity, called ihram, which requires special dress and behaviour. Men don a seamless shroud-like white garment that emphasises unity among believers, regardless of their social status or nationality. Women, in turn, wear loose dresses exposing just their faces and hands. Authorities said over 1.5 million pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the haj, one of the five pillars of Islam that must be performed at least once by all Muslims with the means. Officials have ratcheted up heat protection measures such as extra shade to avoid a repeat of last year, when 1,301 people died as temperatures hit 51.8C. "Last year, the heat was extremely intense, and people were lying on the streets, on the middle of the road and next to the walls," Alaa Refai, a pilgrim from Iraq, told AFP, adding that he saw several dead people during the previous haj. "This year the roads are empty," he added. Following last year's lethal heatwave, authorities have mobilised more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials to improve protection. Shaded areas have been enlarged by 50,000 square metres (12 acres), thousands of additional medics will be on standby and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed, Haj Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah told AFP last week. Artificial intelligence technology will help process the deluge of data, including video from a new fleet of drones, to better manage the massive crowds. "The scene in Mina this year was completely different. We noticed that most pilgrims kept to their... tents instead of exposing themselves to the sun," Ibrahim bin Saleh Al-Mazni, from the Al-Furqan group for haj tours, told AFP from Mina. "This reflects the success of the awareness campaign" of authorities he added, which have been striving to dissuade pilgrims from staying in the sun – with many faithful believing hardship was essential to haj. Earlier this week, Saudi authorities called on pilgrims to stay inside their tents between 10am and 4pm on Thursday during the haj's climax at Mount Arafat, when the desert sun is at its harshest. There, pilgrims assemble on the high hill and its surrounding plain for hours of prayer and Quran recital, staying there until the evening. There is little to no shade on Mount Arafat, leaving pilgrims directly exposed to the blistering desert sun for hours. Authorities said most of the deaths last year were among unregistered pilgrims who lacked access to air-conditioned tents and buses. This year, they have cracked down on the unregistered, using frequent raids, drone surveillance and a barrage of text alerts. A billboard reading "No haj without permit" greeted pilgrims as they arrived in Makkah. Haj permits are allocated to countries on a quota basis and distributed to individuals by lottery. But even for those who can obtain them, the steep costs prompt many to attempt the haj without a permit, even though they risk arrest and deportation if caught. Large crowds at the haj have proved hazardous in the past, most notably in 2015 when a stampede during the "stoning the devil" ritual in Mina killed up to 2,300 people in the deadliest haj disaster. Saudi Arabia earns billions of dollars a year from the haj, and the lesser pilgrimage known as umrah, undertaken at other times of the year.--AFP