County on an Unusual Fall Hot Streak, With Oxnard Sizzling at 95

It may be Christmastime in the department stores, but the weather outside was summertime hot Saturday.

Ventura County was among the hottest areas in the nation for the second straight day, said Mark Mulholland, a meteorologist for WeatherData Inc.

Cities throughout Southern California, in fact, seared under temperatures 20 degrees above normal, tying a 1956 record of 94 degrees in downtown Los Angeles and making a San Diego County town the hottest spot in the nation.

Oxnard was the hottest local city, sizzling under 95-degree temperatures Friday and Saturday as maximums around the county tilted into the 90s in most cities. The Point Mugu Naval base had a 96-degree reading Saturday afternoon.

So, if inland residents thought heading to the coast would bring relief, they were in for a surprise.

“It seems warm here today,” said Channel Islands Harbor Patrol Sgt. Don Molony. “It got up to 83 degrees at noon.”

Oxnard residents awakened to an unseasonal bath of warm air.

“As of 10 a.m., Oxnard was at 91,” Mulholland said. “I’m sure it’s happened before, but that’s very warm for that time of day, especially for November.”

Neither Mulholland nor a National Weather Service spokesman could say how Saturday’s temperatures in Ventura County compared with historic highs.

Oxnard was cool compared to the national hot spot, the San Diego County community of Santee, where the mercury climbed to 108, Mulholland said.

Mild Santa Ana winds that pushed the heat to the coastline this weekend were expected to give way to 15-mph offshore breezes today, cooling things off a few degrees.

Throughout the region, tens of thousands of beach-goers baked on the sand, the mountains glistened as if in postcards and the chilly rains of 10 days ago seemed from another season.

The heat created an unusually high demand for electricity. “We certainly don’t see consumption demands at this level in November,” said Steve Conroy, a Southern California Edison spokesman.