Heat wave to last through Friday

Don’t even think about turning off the air conditioner.

The monsoon is doing a slow fade. But a high pressure system will send temperatures soaring Thursday and Friday, raising the wildfire threat inland and sending large crowds to the coast.

Forecasters say temperatures will reach 85 Thursday at San Diego’s Lindberg Field -- eight degrees above normal. The high will reach 87 on Friday. Areas close to the coast will hit 90, and some inland valleys could top 100, especially on Friday.

“The valleys will be hot, but it won’t be extreme,” said Brandt Maxwell, a weather service forecaster. “This is the kind of weather we get several times each summer.”

Solspot.com says the surf will slowly pick up, hitting 3’ to 5’ in South County on Thursday, and 4’ to 5’ on Friday. North County will be 1’ to 2’ smaller. Sea surface temperatures are in the 70-73 degree range.