It’s Hot Stuff as Summer Starts

There’s no mistaking the symptoms.

Your house is hot and stuffy. Your office is empty, but the beaches are packed. You feel like having ice cream for dinner. Yes, it’s summertime.

Summer--which began officially at 2:53 a.m. today--arrived full blast in San Diego County this week, complete with sweltering heat, heavy humidity and the unfortunate side effect of increased smog. Tuesday marked the second day that the mercury stretched well into the 90s in inland areas, and into the 100s in the deserts.

High temperatures of 98 degrees were reported Tuesday in Ramona and at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, while Poway and Escondido reached 96 and El Cajon 94. Campo hit 102 and Borrego Springs was a sizzling 112.

The heat was accompanied by some heavy smog Tuesday, which hit the inland areas the hardest. The County Air Pollution Control District reported air quality readings of 84 in El Cajon and Escondido and 150 in Alpine--any rating over 100 is considered unhealthy. Even higher pollution levels are forecast for today, and people with health problems are advised to stay indoors and limit physical exertion.

Coastal areas have stayed relatively cool through the heat wave, with temperatures in the 70s and 80s. Lindbergh Field recorded a high of 82 degrees Tuesday--10 degrees hotter than normal for this time of year, but still shy of the record high for the date, which was 90 degrees in 1973. Other coastal highs were 72 in Imperial Beach, 75 in Del Mar and 69 at Oceanside Harbor.

Hordes of people headed for the beaches, with an estimated 6,500 showing up Tuesday at Mission Beach alone. “The crowds kind of overwhelmed us,” said one lifeguard, who noted that city lifeguards aren’t scheduled to start full-time duty until next week.

Things should cool off a bit today, with inland highs between 84 and 92, and coastal temperatures in the low 70s, according to National Weather Service forecasters. By Thursday, San Diego should see the return of the night and morning low clouds .