Mercury Sets a Second Record

Whew!

Record-breaking temperatures baked Southern California for the second consecutive day Friday, setting a record in downtown Los Angeles and sending an estimated 250,000 people to Los Angeles County beaches from Malibu to San Pedro.

The temperature zoomed to 96 at the Civic Center, easily shattering the old mark of 89 set for the date in 1978, and eclipsing Thursday’s record downtown high of 94.

Meteorologist Dan Bowman of WeatherData Inc., which provides weather forecasts for The Times, blamed warm Santa Ana winds blowing clockwise around a high over Oregon for the hot weather.

“We’re talking about highs about 25 degrees above normal for this time of year,” Bowman said. “It’s very unusual.”

And, he said, Southern Californians can expect more hot weather today, with a promise of some relief Sunday as a cold front, now in the Gulf of Alaska, moves across California from out of the northwest.

Monrovia reported a high of 99 Friday. Highs of 98 were recorded in Long Beach, San Gabriel and Santa Ana. Other high readings included Pasadena, 96; Ontario and Torrance, 95; Montebello, 94; Los Angeles International Airport, 93; Burbank, 92; Westwood, 91; Northridge, 90; Newport Beach, 82, and Palm Springs, 97.

As the temperatures climbed to record highs Friday, so did the consumption of electricity.

Southern California Edison reported a 3 p.m. peak power use of 12,292 megawatts, about 1,500 megawatts above normal and a record for the date. The city Department of Water and Power said power usage peaked at 3,938 megawatts, about 12% above normal.

While many sought relief through air conditioning, tens of thousands of others flocked to the shore for “a great day at the beach” with air temperatures in the 80s and water temperatures about 60.

Off-duty lifeguards were called in to shepherd an unusually large weekday crowd. Dozens of swimmers were pulled from the water.

Sheriff’s deputies were summoned twice to Zuma Beach to quell disturbances caused by about 200 suspected gang members who were fighting, drinking alcohol and breaking car windows.

The youths started congregating as early as 9 a.m. and were “immediately distinguishable,” according to Lifeguard Lt. Roger Smith, because “they weren’t wearing bathing suits but were wearing Levis and T-shirts.”

As the groups grew in size, deputies made sweeps to confiscate the alcohol, and after about an hour, they appeared to have dispersed the youths, Smith said. But, he said, the suspected gang members reappeared later in the day, and fights started breaking out.

Four youths were injured in the afternoon melee, a sheriff’s spokesman said. Two 16-year-olds were taken to Westlake Community Hospital with bruises and head injuries.

After the second incident, several deputies remained on patrol at the beach.

San Diego sweltered in record-breaking 89-degree heat, which topped the previous record of 86 degrees in March, 1947.

Times staff writers Leslie Wolf and Tom Gorman contributed to this story.