The Weather : Southland Sliding Into a Not-So-Hot Weekend

Southern California was sliding down the temperature gradient Thursday toward a warm-but-enjoyable weekend after its climb to the summit of a late-summer heat wave.

The National Weather Service predicted that temperatures will drop five or 10 degrees over the next few days, with skies generally clear--except for the usual late night and early morning low clouds.

High temperatures Thursday were 96 in La Habra, 90 in Santa Ana and 87 in San Juan Capistrano.

But the forecast called for a high in the upper 80s today, with the decline expected to continue into the early part of next week.

For people like Ken Keller, area sales manager for Anthony Pools, this week’s hot weather meant a business bonus. Swimming pool buyers, he said, generally are compulsive.

“Usually, they’ve thought about buying a swimming pool and then all of a sudden when the buyer’s mowing the lawn and it’s 103 degrees, he decides he needs a pool.”

When skies are cloudy, he said, “the phone’s dead.” When the mercury rises, “the phones will ring off the hook.”

Department stores and others also reported brisk sales of air conditioners, fans and patio furniture.

Mary Young, Pep Boys assistant manager in Westminster, said everyone was complaining about how hot it was. “It seems that’s all we heard today from customers coming in here for coolant, fan belts and new water pumps,” she said.

“They’re buying oil coolers for their trips up north, and they’re replacing all their worn-out belts,” Young said. “As for me, I’m not going anywhere this weekend. It’s too hot.”

Ed Lindwall, general manager at George Brazil Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, said calls for air conditioning “took off” three days ago.

“Now, everybody wants it immediately. If you called in today, it would be three days before we could get out and install anything,” Lindwall said.

In Los Angeles, the high temperature was 96 degrees Thursday.

But meteorologists said a weak weather system passing to the north of Southern California has produced a more westerly flow of dry air aloft, which helped bring cooler marine air into coastal sections, while the showers and thunderstorms that troubled the mountains and deserts have moved away to the east.

The beaches are expected to remain cool in the low to mid-70s, slightly cooler than Thursday’s 75 along the coast. Surf size may remain small, from one to three feet. However, ocean temperatures will vary dramatically with warmer 65-degree water in San Clemente to the south and icy, 59-degree water in Huntington Beach, lifeguards said.

Yachtsmen who ventured 60 miles or more from shore Thursday found a small craft advisory in effect for northwest winds to 22 knots and five-foot seas. Seas were expected to remain rough this afternoon, with some calming expected by Saturday.