Thousands of customers remain without power as L.A. heat wave peaks

About 4,000 Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers remained without power Tuesday amid warnings that a stifling heat wave would likely send temperatures across the region into the triple digits, potentially breaking longtime records.

The power outages were scattered across the L.A. region, affecting new neighborhoods even as crews restored service to others.

New outages were affecting about 1,200 customers in Pacific Palisades, an additional 1,000 in Los Feliz, with the rest spread out across the Valley and West L.A., according to Jane Galbraith, a spokeswoman for the utility.

Outages had been affecting the Sun Valley, Mulholland, Brentwood and Sherman Oaks neighborhoods.

The outage occurred Monday night after LADWP customers beat the utility’s record for peak power usage set in 2010, using about twice as much power as on a typical day.

A period of record-breaking temperatures is expected continue Tuesday as a days-long heat wave peaks, forecasters warned.

Several more records could fall, including one set in 1909 when downtown L.A. hit 103 degrees. Woodland Hills, meanwhile, is expected to match its 14-year-old record of 109 degrees and Burbank could top out at 105 degrees, a record set in 1984.

Temperatures across Southern California have remained in the triple digits as a weak off-shore flow holds cooler sea breezes at bay.

“Originally, we thought it might be a little cooler Tuesday, but that’s not the case,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Bruno.

The lack of any significant cooling overnight also prompted weather officials to take the rare step of issuing a red flag warning for Southern California’s mountains despite the fact that there are no strong winds in the forecast.

“It’s one of those rare red flags,” Bruno said. “Technically it’s not going to meet the criteria … but if the fuels are really dry and hot for so many days and overnight it hasn’t cooled down, forecasters can make a judgment call.”

Bruno said any fire that sparks through Tuesday night in the Los Angeles, Ventura or Santa Barbara county mountains has a high risk of becoming a significant wildfire.

Firefighters across the central and northern parts of California are already battling several destructive fast-growing wildfires, including the recent Boles fire in Siskiyou County, which destroyed or damaged more than 100 buildings Monday in the small town of Weed.

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