Sweltering Heat Sets a Record of 92; No Change in Sight Soon

San Diegans suffered through oppressive heat and muggy, unhealthful air Saturday as the 92 degrees recorded at Lindbergh Field broke the temperature record for the date. The highest previous recording on a Sept. 3 was 91 degrees in 1982.

Inland temperatures soared much higher: Spring Valley and Fallbrook reached 112, Santee 110, and La Mesa and El Cajon 109.

The cause of the hot, muggy weather was upper-level high pressure over Northern Nevada bumping up against a low-pressure system over Arizona and New Mexico, and the forecast for today and Monday is for more of the same, National Weather forecaster Harvey Hastrup said.

The temperatures throughout Southern California were high. In Los Angeles, temperatures matched the record high of 103 at the Civic Center and reached up to 111 in the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys.

The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District declared a Stage 1 alert Saturday for ozone and very unhealthful quality air from the coastline 20 miles inland and from the Orange County line to the Mexican border.

The alert was in effect from 5 to 7 p.m., and according to hospital emergency room personnel at Sharp Memorial and Grossmont, several people came in because of problems with faintness, fatigue and shortness of breath. The district forecast more bad air today.

Crowds reached about 83,000 at San Diego beaches, and city lifeguard Sean Green said there were only eight rescues, which, he added, is small for the size of the crowd.

“It was real stormy out there--real choppy water,” Green said. “I think there were so few rescues because of cold water temperature--it was only 61 degrees.”

People Left Early

By 4:30 p.m., Green said, the beaches were thinning out, unusually early for people to leave on a Labor Day weekend.

“A lot of people were complaining about the wind,” he said. “They were asking, ‘Is it always this windy?’ ”

The winds gusted to 16 m.p.h. at the beach and up to 19 m.p.h. inland.

Though the weather was hot and windy, Hastrup said it was not a Santa Ana condition.

“A Santa Ana usually has drier winds and temperatures are cooler,” Hastrup said. “It’s associated with high pressure in winter time.”

More of the Same

Partly cloudy skies and heat and uncomfortable conditions are expected to continue through Monday, with a cooling trend starting Tuesday.

Hastrup said there is also a slight chance that thundershowers over the mountains and deserts will move inland today and Monday and maybe even to the coast.

The Weather Service is warning of particularly high heat for inland valleys today and Monday.

Highs along the beaches will range from 80 to 85 today and Monday, with fair skies. Surf will be 2 to 4 feet and the ocean around 67 degrees.

Coastal strip highs will be 87 to 92 degrees with lows of 68 to 73.

Inland valleys will have highs of 100 to 110 degrees and lows of 65 to 73.

Mountains and deserts will have scattered thunderstorms in afternoons and evenings, with strong, gusty winds through Monday.

Highs in the mountains will range from 86 to 94 and lows 58 to 66.

Desert highs will reach 102 to 110 degrees with lows of 78 to 86.