It’s Hot!

It started hot and turned into a scorcher, sending temperatures across Orange County soaring into the 100s. And it’s not over yet. Weather forecasters say it’s going to stay this way.

Tales From the ‘Burbs

How hot was it? Well, it was so hot, ants were crawling into people’s refrigerators and freezing to death. Rats, delirious with thirst, were falling to their deaths in back yard swimming pools. An 18-year-old mixed terrier in Irvine suddenly keeled over in front of its water dish. And the snakes at the Santa Ana Zoo were slithering for cover.

Irritable pregnant women flocked to a Fullerton women’s center Wednesday after a sleepless night. The Women’s Center advises women in their last trimester to lay chilled towels across their stomachs to help cool down. Doctors also suggested drinking lots of fluids, staying indoors and abstaining from fast foods high in salt content. In hot weather, it is especially unwise for pregnant women to run for buses or carry heavy bags of groceries.

What was more unpopular than glaze oozing off a gooey swirl doughnut? Well, the chili at the concession stands in Anaheim Stadium was running a close second. It seems Orange County residents were much more interested in the Big Gulp, a 44-ounce drink sold by 7-Eleven. One Brea store operator reported selling more than 800 of the super-size sodas Wednesday.

An outdoor class was postponed at the Leisure World retirement community for fear some of the senior residents would suffer heatstroke.

Comedians made light of the heat in their stand-up routines. Says Steve Briscow, who is appearing this week at the Improv Comedy Nite Club in Irvine: “They’re going to have a new advertising campaign now for Los Angeles: ‘This is your brain,’ then, ‘This is your brain in Los Angeles’ and it’s a fried egg.”

Steve Kravitz, who appears at the Comedy Club in Los Angeles, recounts: “It was so hot that I saw two trees fighting over a dog.”

How to Shelter Your Pet

Pets of all types--birds, animals and fish--are endangered by the heat wave, according to Dr. Scott Weldy, a veterinarian at El Toro Animal Hospital. Here are some of his tips to pet owners:

Don’t leave a pet in your parked car for even 30 seconds. They can quickly die.

Leave plenty of water in various locations. Try to give them cool water. If you’re leaving the house in the morning, put ice cubes in a big bowl of water to keep it cool.

If you put pets outside, make sure they have shaded and cool areas to be in.

If you leave a pet in the house, set the air conditioning to keep the temperature down to 80 degrees. If the temperature gets to 90 degrees or above, heat becomes critical for pets, including fish.

If the house is not air conditioned, make sure pets are in rooms that have cross-ventilation, with either fans or open windows.

Reported highs around Orange County

From Fullerton to San Clemente, the mercury continued to climb Wednesday. Only the beach areas escaped the heat.

El Toro: 103

Anaheim: 104

Fullerton: 106

Los Alamitos: 101

Santa Ana: 101

Newport Beach: 82

San Juan Capistrano: 104

San Clemente: 86 (pier)

Source: WeatherData and National Weather Service

Hourly Temperatures Temperature at Santa Ana throughout Wednesday Low: 72 degrees High: 101 degrees Source: WeatherData, Inc.