Relief From Heat May Be on Horizon

For Don Coston the difference between 92 and 97 degrees is semantic.

For him and many county residents, it doesn’t matter what the weatherman says or the thermometers read: It’s just plain hot.

“I don’t get too excited when I hear it’s going to cool off a few degrees,” said Coston, who spent Friday washing office windows in Simi Valley. “I can’t tell the difference. . . . I sweat just the same.”

With highs climbing into the upper 90s in inland communities such as Simi Valley and into the 80s along the coast, Friday was another hot one, but not as hot as last week when the mercury hit triple digits.

But for residents who are sick of sweat rings and broiling car interiors, relief is on the way.

The ridge of high pressure that has kept California baking should start weakening today and moving toward the east, said meteorologist Kevin Stenson of WeatherData Inc.

“That’s going to bring in an onshore flow, which should cool things off nicely for you all,” he said.

Temperatures next week are expected to hover in the low to mid-90s inland and in the 70s to low 80s along the coast.

With an onshore flow predicted, coastal fog will again be the norm along the coast during the mornings, but will clear by the afternoon, forecasters say.

“Sounds OK to me,” said Felix Arragon as he mowed the lawn of an office park in Simi Valley dressed in long pants and a flannel shirt. “We all work faster when it’s cool.”