Southland Basks in Record Heat

Record high temperatures were reported Sunday in Los Angeles and San Diego, as a Santa Ana weather system continued to hold sway over Southern California. Slightly more moderate temperatures were forecast for today.

Los Angeles registered a high of 91 degrees and San Diego hit 90, sending hundreds of thousands of residents to the beaches, where additional lifeguards were called on to handle the holiday crowds.

Despite the hot weather, swimmers were warned that the ocean remained winter-like just below the surface, with dangerous riptides.

Los Angeles fell short of its overall record for February--94 degrees--that was registered nine years ago. But Sunday’s high easily eclipsed the previous record for a Feb. 19--85 degrees--set in 1982.

Los Angeles on Sunday was one degree hotter than Death Valley, where the high temperature was 90. Other high temperatures in the Southland included 90 degrees in Pasadena, 93 in Monrovia, 93 in Santa Ana, 85 in San Juan Capistrano and 86 in Palm Springs.

In San Diego, it was the hottest February day since record-keeping began in 1872. The old mark was 89 degrees on Feb. 24, 1921. Before Sunday, the hottest Feb. 19 there was 83 degrees in 1981.

Santa Ana’s temperature also set a record for the date, the previous high being 87 degrees in 1965.

There were cooler temperatures in the mountains. Idyllwild had a high of 71 degrees while in Big Bear, the thermometer reached only 56.

It also was unusually mild at night, with a Los Angeles low of 57 degrees.

Sunday’s hot weather in Southern California did not extend into the San Joaquin Valley.

The high in Bakersfield was only 68, while Fresno reported 69 and Sacramento 70.

Meanwhile, a high-pressure system centered over southern Utah kept rain to the north of virtually all of California.

With the heavy rains of January, many California cities have already reached their seasonal norms for precipitation. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento and San Diego have all registered more rainfall thus far than their annual average for the season ending June 30.

Weather forecasts called for temperatures in Los Angeles to reach the upper 80s today and the mid-80s Tuesday.

But on Sunday, the third straight day of unseasonably warm weather, lifeguards at Venice said it was like a July afternoon, with about 200,000 to 300,000 beach-goers from Marina del Rey to Las Tunas Canyon. They also reported having to rescue 10 to 15 bathers, four at the same time during a frantic period about 3 p.m.

Lifeguards at Malibu, meanwhile, estimated the crowd at 70,000 between Nicholas Beach and Malibu Surfrider Beach. They said most only dipped their toes in the water, however.

“The water temperature was 59, so it’s a little cool when you first hit it,” said Jim Doman, a senior lifeguard for Los Angeles County. “But not so cool that you won’t stay in for a while.”

Lifeguards had to rescue several bathers who were sucked away from shore by rip currents flowing through deep holes left in the tide line by heavy winter surf, Doman said.