Don’t Sweat the Fourth, Forecasters Say

Hot summer weather continued to bake Orange County on Monday with a countywide high of 97 degrees in Anaheim, but a slight cooling trend is expected to arrive in time for the Fourth of July, meteorologists said.

Temperatures should start falling today, reaching the upper 60s along the coast and the high 80s to low 90s inland, said Curtis Brack, a meteorologist for WeatherData Inc., which provides forecast information to The Times.

By the Fourth of July, the mercury is predicted to dip to the mid-60s along the coast and mid-80s inland, he said.

“It should be pretty normal summertime weather on the Fourth,” Brack said.

But on Monday, the sweltering heat prompted warnings from Orange County Animal Control officials about leaving pets unattended in locked-up vehicles.

“You’re potentially leaving the dog in a life-threatening situation,” said Lt. Marie Hulett of Animal Control. “Even with the window partially cracked, dogs can suffer brain damage and even death.”

Leaving the car to get a quick hamburger could be dangerous to pets, she said.

People who spot dogs in parked closed-up vehicles on hot days should call Animal Control officers ([714] 935-6848), she said. Officers will try to locate the owner by loudspeaker. In a worst-case scenario, they would summon police to break a window to get the dog out.

Meanwhile, beaches were far less crowded Monday than over the weekend, but populated well enough to keep lifeguards busy with routine rescues.

Lifeguard officials said the weather was ideal until late afternoon, when onshore winds of up to 20 miles per hour kicked up the sand.

In addition to Anaheim’s 97-degree heat, Santa Ana reported 94, Lake Forest hit 91, San Juan Capistrano reached 89 and Newport Beach and Dana Point peaked in the mid-70s.

The heat was a fitting close to the official rainy season. The season’s 11.18 inches was nearly 2 inches below the county average. The lowest season total ever recorded in the county was 3.72 inches, in the 1960-61 season.

Also contributing to this report were Times staff writers Renee Tawa and Binh Hong.