Hottest Weather of Year Hits County

A heat wave brought this year’s hottest weather to Ventura County on Tuesday, increasing ice sales but deterring campers from staying at Lake Piru Recreation Area.

Ojai topped the local mercury at 106, Fillmore hit 100, Simi Valley 97, Oxnard 79 and Ventura 77, said Rob Kaczmarek, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides forecast information for The Times.

“It’s about 10 degrees above normal,” Kaczmarek said. “It’s going to be a tad cooler [today], but nobody is going to recognize it.”

The gradual cooling trend should result in seasonal temperatures by the weekend, he said.

But on Tuesday, county residents endured sizzling heat that prompted the American Red Cross to caution people not to overexert themselves.

Still, a spokeswoman at Columbia Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks, where temperatures peaked at 90, said doctors there saw no patients suffering from heat prostration.

“People obviously know how to take care of themselves in excessive heat like this,” said hospital spokeswoman Kris Carraway.

Meanwhile, only a few campers braved sweltering 103-degree temperatures to take a dip at Lake Piru, and one Thousand Oaks family requested and received a refund, said Ranger Travis Kalin.

Fewer people than usual strolling through downtown Ojai even put a damper on sales at Ojai Ice Cream, said the parlor’s co-owner Doug Rydbeck.

But Terri Shaw of Doyle Shaw Ice in Simi Valley said ice sales rose 50% compared with the same time last week. The company has hired extra help to keep up with demand.

“Everybody else is praying for the cool weather, and we’re praying for the hot,” she said.