What Did We Learn From This Heat Wave?
By JONATHAN LLOYD
Updated 4:48 PM PST, Tue, Apr 21, 2009
Dave Goldberg has been a busy guy this week.
Goldberg, owner of an air conditioning repair service in Los Angeles, said business was up 400 or 500 percent because of sweltering homeowners.
"Next year, think before it gets hot, you know?" he said. "That's my advice -- but nobody takes it."
Summerlike heat blanketed Southern California Tuesday for a third consecutive day. The thermometer spiked into the 90s in downtown Los Angeles, a day after setting a 100-degree record, and soared elsewhere beyond the century mark.
The heat wave was easing at the coast, though.
"We're at least about 15 degrees cooler from this time yesterday," said Patrick Jones, a Los Angeles County lifeguard captain at Hermosa Beach.
"Today you really felt the drop in the temperatures," he said.
Crowds were down and with them the number rescues, said.
Heat records were set this week from San Francisco to San Diego, where Monday's 98-degree reading at Lindbergh Field broke a 110-year-old mark and tied the highest temperature on record for the entire month of April, the National Weather Service said.
Forecasters called for an increase in the cooling onshore flow of sea breezes.
Temperatures reached a record 100 degrees Monday in downtown Los Angeles and Long Beach. Other records include 103 in Santa Ana and Riverside, 101 in El Cajon, 99 at UCLA, San Gabriel and Alpine, 98 in Santa Maria, Paso Robles and San Diego International Airport, 97 in Oxnard and Chula Vista, 96 in Camarillo and Santa Cruz, 93 in San Francisco and Monterey and 86 at Santa Monica Pier.
Forecasters attributed the heat wave to a strong upper level ridge of high pressure combined with offshore winds.
On Sunday, downtown Los Angeles heated up to 94 degrees, breaking a 95-year-old record of 92 set in 1914, while the high in Long Beach was 97, breaking the record of 88 set in 1986. Four other Southland high-temperature records were broken Sunday in Los Angeles County, along with three in Orange County.
The NWS advisory said people should avoid strenuous activities; wear light, loose-fitting clothing; drink plenty of non-alcoholic liquids; and never leave children, the elderly or pets in vehicles -- even if only briefly with the windows partially open.
And, take Golberg's advice before the next heat wave.
Copyright City News Service / NBC Los Angeles
First Published: Apr 20, 2009 8:52 AM PST
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