This Week’s Hot Topic Will Again Be the Weather

Thousands crowded Orange County beaches Sunday and thousands more lingered inside air-conditioned malls seeking relief from the oppressive heat wave that scorched the Southland over the weekend.

Santa Ana tied a record of 100 set in 1967, and almost every city in the county reported readings in the high 90s. Lake Forest reported a high of 99 and Fullerton’s high was 103. On the coast, Newport Beach hit 83 degrees.

Temperatures should continue on the hot side for most of the week because of a high pressure system centered off the California coast, said meteorologist Jeff House with WeatherData Inc., which provides weather information to The Times.

The normal temperature for Santa Ana would be 84. He said temperatures will drop steadily during the week, but it will continue to be abnormally warm.

“It might not feel so bad by the end the week,” he said.

In Los Angeles, the mercury at the Civic Center reached a record 101 degrees, eclipsing the previous heat peak of 100 in 1967. In Pasadena, another record was set when the temperature soared to 107 degrees, breaking the previous record of 104 in 1967. In Simi Valley, the temperature reached 106--matching what had previously been recorded as the hottest temperature for the day set in 1995.

The soaring temperatures also led to increased usage of home air conditioners and other appliances, causing sporadic power outages in 10 Orange County cities and leaving 2,500 customers without electricity at 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

As many as 4,000 county customers were without power at one time Sunday, Southern California Edison spokeswoman Clara Potes-Fellow said. Power is not expected to be restored in some areas until today, she added.

However, 200 customers in Orange, who have been without power since 5 p.m. Saturday, were the hardest hit, Potes-Fellow said.

“The problem in Orange is with transformers that have overheated. This requires the intervention of electricians who have to either reset the transformers, or they have to replace or repair cables. We’re still working to restore power” to customers in Orange, she said.

The increased demand for electricity over the weekend resulted in a record 18,272 megawatts of electricity used Saturday, Edison officials said. The previous record for a Saturday was 16,428, set in August 1994.

The utility’s officials recommended air-conditioner thermostats be set at 78 degrees and appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines be used at night, when demand for electricity is lower.

Many people preferred the water over air conditioners and flocked to Orange County beaches, where space was at a premium in some areas Sunday. Lifeguards reported 70,000 beach goers crowded along the 3 1/2 miles of beach in Huntington Beach, where the scent of tanning lotion and sun block wafted through the air.

But at Doheny State Beach, a recreation area popular with South County residents, visitors had no trouble staking out a spot near the water. Ranger Brad Barker said only about 5,000 people showed up Sunday, a surprisingly low number.

“It was not quite as busy as it’s been on other days of summer. It’s been a relief,” he said.

Lifeguards reported no major incidents at area beaches.

Far from the beaches, parking lots in area malls were almost filled to capacity, as people shopped to keep cool or just strolled leisurely inside the air-conditioned shopping centers.

Anita Ferguson was among a group of friends who decided to spend the hot afternoon window shopping at the Brea Mall. Ferguson said the fan in her third-floor apartment “was spitting out recycled hot air.”

“I knew the beaches were going to be packed, so I invited my girlfriends to the mall to cool off. There’s a lot of people here who apparently have the same idea. The parking lot is jammed and most shoppers are just milling around, not really shopping,” she said.