Area Struggles to Ride Out an Early Heat Wave

In Simi Valley, they were signing up Friday for water polo and fitness classes as the only ticket into the community swimming pool.

Along the Pacific Coast Highway north of Ventura, campers in recreational vehicles hugged the fog-shrouded beachfront to escape the searing inland temperatures.

At Soule Park in Ojai, golfers simply played through the heat.

“We have a certain amount of players who are going to play, regardless of the heat,” said Duffy Cink, an assistant golf pro at the public course in Ojai.

“I’m sure the weather will be a positive,” he said. “The days are longer and the sunshine certainly helps.”

Residents and tourists throughout Ventura County sought different ways to beat summer-like temperatures that have climbed 10 degrees above normal in recent days.

Temperatures hovered around 70 along the coast but were much higher almost everyplace else. Thermometers rose into the low 90s in the Ojai Valley and east Ventura County, with more of the same expected through Sunday.

“It’s warmer than normal,” said Eugene Van Cor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Oxnard. “But we’re actually cooling down slightly through the weekend from what it was earlier this week.”

Visitors to Ventura County have a range of weekend events and activities to choose from in their hunt for rest and relaxation.

Conejo Valley Days continues at Conejo Creek Park in Thousand Oaks, a Cinco de Mayo festival is underway at College Park in Oxnard, and the Taste of Ventura County food-tasting gala will continue at the Channel Islands Harbor through Sunday.

Meanwhile, the 96th Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament continues at multiple venues in Ojai, Ventura and Oxnard.

“We won’t be opening our pools,” said Rick Johnson of the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District. “But they’re open to the aerobics classes and the Swim and Stay Fit classes.”

To get a taste of the cool waters in Simi Valley’s public swimming pools, more people are enrolling in community recreation courses. “We’re getting sign-ups all the time,” Johnson said. The pools will open to the public the first week of June.

Campers and recreational vehicle owners have reserved most of the spaces at the Lake Casitas Recreation Area.

“The weather is bringing a lot of people out who might not be coming out usually,” said SuziWebb, who works at the Lake Casitas Recreation Area front gate.

At the Coast Highway just south of Faria Beach, Leon Grieve of Castaic curled up in front of his RV on a sheet of artificial grass with his Scottish terrier, Kelsey.

“It’s much better here than it is at home,” said Grieve, a helicopter mechanic for the city of Los Angeles. “It’s going to be really hot at home.”