Heat wave hitting western United States Wednesday through Friday

Forecasters have issued excessive heat warnings on Wednesday lasting through Friday night for portions of southeast California, southern Nevada and Arizona.

“Temperatures well above average for the time of year — some spots as much as 10 to 20 degrees above average,” said Marc Chenard, a weather service meteorologist in College Park, Maryland, according to the Associated Press.

AccuWeather forecasters cautioned that the high temperatures will "increase wildfire danger."

"The combination of a bulge in the jet stream, high pressure building at most levels of the atmosphere and a storm offshore of California will allow the heat to build without any shower or thunderstorm activity for about 50 million people in the West through at least Thursday," AccuWeather reported.