If It’s Not Record Heat, It’s a Flood

The San Fernando Valley was burning hot Sunday--and just plain burning in some spots--while Palmdale was drenched late in the day by a downpour.

The temperature in Chatsworth peaked at 105 degrees, matching the record high for the day set in 1980. Woodland Hills, Burbank and Newhall hit a mere 98.

In other parts of Southern California, new heat records were set Sunday, including downtown Los Angeles, which reached 100 degrees, topping the former record of 98 set in 1935, according to the National Weather Service.

Long Beach had a high of 101, beating the 1935 record of 99. It was 102 in Simi Valley, where the previous record of 101 was set in 1994.

And, of all things in August, flooding closed a highway in the Antelope Valley on Sunday night, courtesy of tropical storm Frank, which is creeping in from Baja California.

More than 100 Los Angeles city firefighters really felt the heat as they battled a 12-acre blaze in the hills around Chatsworth Park North near Germain Street and Valley Circle Boulevard, said fire spokesman Bob Collis.

Five water-dropping helicopters were called in to help douse the blaze, which charred a steep, grassy hillside. The fire, reported at 5:07 p.m., took just over an hour to control. No injuries were reported and no structures were damaged, Collis said. The cause of the Chatsworth fire was undetermined.

“There was no wind, so that worked in our favor today,” Collis said.

At the opposite extreme, flash flooding blocked the Pearblossom Highway in the Antelope Valley on Sunday evening, said California Highway Patrol Officer Karen Faciane.

Heavy rains put a portion of the highway just east of 165th Street East under water about 6 p.m., she said. A few hours later, officers were able to escort vehicles through the flooded roadway, Faciane said.

Forecasters say there is a 30% chance of rain Monday, which could unleash flash flooding in the San Fernando, San Gabriel and Antelope valleys. Still, temperatures are expected to stay in triple digits today.

Tropical storm Frank, which is moving north from the Baja coast, is expected to make its way into Southern California today, bringing cloudy skies and the possibility of showers or thunderstorms, said Jeff House, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides forecast information to The Times.

However, House said, if it stays on its current path, Frank may miss the Valley altogether.

“It looks like it will skirt by the mountains and into the San Gabriel Valley, but it could possibly drift back toward the San Fernando Valley,” he said.

The hottest spot in the Valley today should be Chatsworth, at 101. Slightly lower temperatures are forecast for Woodland Hills, Van Nuys and Burbank.

Similar temperatures are expected Tuesday.

Morning lows through Friday are expected to range from the mid- to upper 70s.

Despite the cloud cover, the ultraviolet index for today at noon, when the sun’s rays are most direct, is expected to be 10, a high reading, House said. Those with fair skin could begin to burn within six to seven minutes of exposure.

Afternoon temperatures for Wednesday and Thursday are expected to be slightly cooler, ranging from the low 90s in the East Valley to the mid- to upper 90s in the West Valley, as the upper level high-pressure system weakens, House said.

The system is expected to regain strength Friday, bringing higher afternoon temperatures, from the mid-90s to the low-100s.