The trick, of course, was to think...

The trick, of course, was to think cool . KRTH-FM did its best by spinning such platters as Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas,” Johnny Mathis’ “Winter Wonderland,” and Andy Williams’ “Happy Holidays.”

You had to keep telling yourself that at least it was dry. (Forget that a microwave is dry, too.)

Ken Smith, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., pointed out that it actually “doesn’t feel as hot” as the temperature indicated.

“With the general humidity dropping below 20% in the afternoon, it creates a heat-index temperature that is actually lower” than the stated temperature, he said.

For instance, the mercury hit 109 Wednesday.

But the heat-index temperature was only 107.

Jingle bells, jingle bells ...

One bank in Pasadena didn’t help matters, though. Pamela Warrick saw its electronic time-and-temperature sign jump from 143 to 144. (But the heat index wouldn’t be more than 140.)

And then there was that morning spill of a load of barbecue sauce on the Pomona Freeway, which prompted disc jockeys to joke that the red-hot pavement was ready if any listeners felt like splashing down their steaks.

Dashing through the snow ...

Glen George of Pasadena faxed Only in L.A. a missive scolding us for jinxing the city on Tuesday by noting in miscelLAny that the all-time high at the Civic Center was 110. Old Sol, obviously feeling challenged, increased the mark to 112 that day.

“Don’t ever again publish record temperatures,” he said. “You probably should avoid earthquake information while you’re at it.”

Let alone talk of “earthquake weather.” (It’s hot and windy, remember?)

We tried to make up for it today by running a nostalgic photo of the last snowstorm to hit the Civic Center. It was just the other day: Jan. 11, 1949.

Jack Frost nipping at your nose ...

Certainly, The Times took a positive attitude when the temperature in L.A. hit 109 not quite a century ago--on Sept. 25, 1891.

Like other L.A. papers back then, The Times was sensitive about the frontier pueblo’s image back East. While “the day was ‘warm,’ ” it allowed, “it should be remembered that there was nothing in the shape of sunstroke or prostration by heat, as would have been the case in any of the eastern cities with a temperature of 90 degrees or even less, so that the California climate has nothing to fear from having the whole truth told.”

Sleigh bells ring. Are ya listenin’?

miscelLAny:

The average high temperature at Civic Center in the month of June is 78 degrees.