Heatwave Sets Sights On Record Highs
LOS ANGLES (CBSLA.com) — It did not take long for the heat to return on Sunday. In some areas, it never really went away.
The temperature had reached 103 in Saugus, in the Santa Clarita Valley, by 11 a.m., while it was 100 in Woodland Hills, according to the National Weather Service.
The weather was made even more unbearable for thousands of residents affected by power outages across the Southland.
Thousands of Department of Water and Power and Southern California Edison customers were affected in the following cities Sunday afternoon: Toluca Lake, Granada Hills, Tujunga, Tarzana, Sun Valley, Sherman Oaks, Westwood, the Fairfax District, South Gate, Whittier, Norwalk, Corona, West Covina, Pomona, La Habra, Lakewood and Garden Grove.
Crews worked into the evening to restore power to residents so they could get their air conditioners and fans back on.
The weather service extended Red Flag Warnings for extreme fire danger to 6 a.m. Monday, noting concerns from the heat and dry conditions in the mountains and foothills of Los Angeles County.
KNX 1070's Bob Brill reported that the warning could be further extended to Tuesday, and other counties might be added if the weather service finds it necessary.
An Excessive Heat Warning remain in effect until 7 p.m. on Tuesday for the San Gabriel, San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys. Temperatures were expected in the 98 to 105-degree range in those areas, while in the mid-90s in the basin, including downtown Los Angeles, and as hot as 85 at the beaches.
On Sunday morning, KCAL9's Joy Benedict found some triathletes in the Malibu area trying to beat the heat by getting their race in early.
"It's going to be a warm day today, even on the coast," said Tim Suffolk of Simi Valley. "It's going to be hard for the athletes. They train hard, so they are ready for it."
Suffolk said it was about 100 on Saturday in Simi Valley.
"It's cooler here, but it's still going to be very warm once the sun comes out," Suffolk said.
To make matters worse, eastern Los Angeles County and the valleys, Orange County and the Lake Elsinore areas were being impacted by poorer than usual air quality due to smoke from the Silverado Fire. Smog experts encouraged people with sensitive medical conditions to stay indoors.
A number of cooling centers were open on Sunday, mostly in libraries, senior centers and other government buildings. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has a map of cooling centers at http://bit.ly/BeatTheHeat2014.
(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)