Southland Cold Wave Expected to Ease Slightly

Bone-chilling overnight low temperatures that have been blamed for at least five deaths and have driven hundreds of homeless people to seek emergency shelter over the last several days should ease somewhat this weekend but only by a few degrees, forecasters said Thursday.

The mercury plummeted to 28 in the Beaumont area of Riverside County on Thursday morning, 27 in Pasadena, 32 in Santa Barbara and 39 at the Los Angeles Civic Center, said Rick Dittmann, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc. which provides forecasts for The Times.

Farmers faced with nightly predictions of freezing temperatures have so far managed to fend off significant crop damage with petroleum-fueled orchard heaters, wind machines and even helicopters to keep the cold air from settling on tender fruit, a state Farm Bureau spokesman said.

Agriculture officials said it would take several days to determine if any crops had been damaged by the cold weather.

Overnight lows this morning were expected to be in the 40s along the coast, with inland areas dropping to the mid-30s.

“Winds Thursday mixed the air up a lot and that helped,” Dittmann said. “Also, some high pressure in the upper atmosphere will make today’s low temperatures warmer than what we’ve had.”

When temperatures drop to 40 degrees in dry weather or 50 degrees during rain, Los Angeles opens emergency shelters for the homeless.

Until Thursday, temperatures had been low enough on nine successive nights to activate the emergency program. Only the San Fernando Valley--with a predicted low of 38--was expected to be cold enough Thursday to require emergency shelters.

More than 800 homeless people took refuge from the cold Wednesday night in six shelters operated by the city. In addition, the city dispensed more than 500 hotel vouchers a night during the nine-day cold snap.

The cold is likely to return Sunday night, Dittmann said, with lows mainly in the 30s. But some protected valleys could drop into the 20s.

“That could all change, depending on the cloud cover and winds,” Dittmann said.

Clouds, he explained, help to retain heat at the surface, and winds help mix warm and cold air, keeping low temperatures warmer.

When drought-ridden 1988 surrenders Saturday night to 1989, the new kid on the block will be wearing a soggy diaper.

Clear, sunny skies today, with high temperatures ranging from the upper 50s to the low 60s, will give way to increasing clouds tonight and Saturday, with a good chance of rain, Dittmann said.

“High temperatures will be a few degrees lower on Saturday, and the showers will taper off Saturday night,” Dittmann said. “But it’s possible to see a few more showers Sunday morning.”

The wet weather will come from the same cold front, bearing down from the Gulf of Alaska, that has left the Southland unseasonably cold, Dittmann said.

The cold, however, should be a boon to ski operators as snow levels drop to 3,500 feet in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains.

Unstable Air Mass

The front should pass through the Los Angeles Basin on Saturday, but an unstable air mass trailing it has enough moisture to provide a few showers on Sunday.

Skies should clear by Sunday evening, with gusty winds out of the north and northeast. High temperatures will be in the 50s throughout the basin. Monday should dawn crisp and clear for parade watchers and football fans in Pasadena, forecasters said.