LOS ANGELES — California’s blistering fall heat wave sent temperatures to an alltime record high of 113 degrees Monday in downtown Los Angeles, and many sought refuge at the beach or in the shade.
Downtown hit 113 degrees for a few minutes at about 12:15 p.m., breaking the old all-time record of 112 degrees set on June 26, 1990, said Stuart Seto, a weather specialist at the National Weather Service office in Oxnard. Temperature records for downtown date to 1877.
Commuters waiting for buses sought even the slight shelter of the 6-inch-wide shadows of light poles.
The giant Los Angeles Unified School District canceled all outdoor activities, including sports competitions and practices.
Electrical demand was much higher than normal for this time of year, but no problems or shortages were expected on the state grid, said Gregg Fishman, spokesman for the California Independent System Operator, which controls about 80 percent of the grid.
“It’s manageable. We’ve got the resources available,” he said.
Demand was expected to reach 46,000 megawatts, compared with 38,300 megawatts a year earlier, he said.
As Mother Nature served up California in a roasting pan,some people were able to seek relief at the beaches - though not in the hundreds of thousands who turned out over the weekend as the heat wave built.
“Because it’s Monday and it’s a school day, the crowd is a lot smaller, [but] it appears a lot of people aren’t going to work or school,” said Los Angeles County lifeguard Capt. Angus Alexander.
Alexander said Monday was one of the best beach days of the year, with clear visibility all the way to Santa Catalina Island, the popular tourist destination about 20 miles off the mainland coast.
The city of Los Angeles urged people to use Parks and Recreation facilities, senior centers and libraries as cooling centers. A half-dozen senior sites were to remain open until 9 p.m., the Emergency Management Department said.
The National Weather Service said the siege of dry heat was being caused by a ridge of high pressure over the West that was keeping the Pacific Ocean’s normal moist and cool influence at bay.
Conditions were expected to remain hot today but not as extreme. Forecasters said the ridge would drift east and allow some cooling through the end of the week.
Information for this article was contributed by Raquel Maria Dillon, Jacob Adelman and Robert Jablon of The Associated Press.
Front Section, Pages 3 on 09/28/2010