Weather Keeps Heat on Southland
More than 500,000 people flocked to Southern California beaches Saturday to escape an unseasonal heat wave and eye-stinging smog.
Ocean temperatures--up to three degrees above normal--were luring people into the surf in large numbers. Lifeguards from Marina del Rey to Topanga State Beach reported 125 rescues.
The temperature reached 93 degrees at the Los Angeles Civic Center, one degree short of the record high set in 1898, said the National Weather Service. The overnight low was 64 degrees, which set a record. The old record of 61 degrees was set in 1981.
Smog caused health advisories to be declared in central Los Angeles, the San Gabriel Valley and central Orange County. First-stage smog alerts were called for the east San Gabriel Valley, Riverside and the San Bernardino Valley.
Forecasters said the heat would continue today--with highs in the mid-80s to mid-90s--for the L.A. Fiesta in downtown Los Angeles, which is expected to draw 600,000 people. The festival, inaugurating the Cinco de Mayo season, features performers from Mexico, Cuba, and Central and South American countries.
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