Record Heat Parboils Area; More in Store

Just when it seemed summer could get no hotter, Mother Nature cranked it up a few notches Saturday, spreading humidity and temperatures well beyond the 100-degree mark over the San Fernando Valley.

A new record of 113 degrees was set for Chatsworth, while near-record temperatures ranging between 104 and 110 scorched the rest of the Valley, meteorologists said.

With temperatures over the region expected to be blazing by mid-morning, the scenario will likely change very little today. Highs are anticipated to range between 105 and 113 in Burbank, Chatsworth and Woodland Hills, possibly breaking a few more records. Worse, the day will seem at least five degrees hotter, meteorologists said, because a layer of subtropical humidity will be hovering over the Los Angeles area for the next few days.

“The word you want to use is ‘sweltering’ if you are going to describe what the next few days will be like,” said meteorologist Ken Stenson of WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts to The Times.

“You have moisture coming up from Mexico into Southern California that, combined with the heat, will make it seem even hotter for a few days,” Stenson said. “And Hurricane Howard out in the Pacific was just spinning away the last few days. That could also be a contributor.”

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Temperatures are expected to be near or above 100 until at least Wednesday, he said.

Although Saturday’s weather was unbearable for most, a few Valley residents seemed unfazed.

“We’re used to the hot weather,” said Sophia Estrada of North Hills.

Estrada was one of about 150 parents and children gathered outside the Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys on Saturday morning for its annual Back to School Health Education Fair.

The four-hour event helps parents prepare their children for school by providing free Hepatitis B and polio immunizations in compliance with Los Angeles County health requirements.

With perspiration streaming down their faces, children at the fair rode through a bicycle safety course and hopped around inside a rubber trampoline house.

“I like the heat,” said Estrada’s 6-year-old son, Leonel, after he completed the bike course. “You sweat a lot.”

Hospital volunteers walked around, frequently spraying the children with waterbottles.

“The [vinyl] seats on the bicycles are burning their little rear-ends,” Pat Hines said, joking. She is director of Safe Moves, which coordinated the bike safety program. “We’re trying to keep them as cool as possible.”

For a handful of volunteers inside the air-conditioned office of the Department of Children and Family Services in North Hollywood, staying cool was a creative endeavor.

During the last few days, the volunteers--from the Halcyon Center for Child Studies in Van Nuys--have been painting on the department’s walls a duplicate of artist Henri Rousseau’s tropical mural, “The Dream.”

Losing oneself inside the cool green world of the jungle painting “is a good way to escape the heat,” said Los Angeles artist Tim Fields, who helped coordinate the effort.

Such an escape was the last thing on the minds of a small crowd outside the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Canoga Park. Gathered in an open field to see the church’s annual Holypalooza music festival, the crowd was happy when musicians turned up the heat.

As a group of gospel singers raised their pitch and clapped their hands furiously, church member John Lample stared up at the sky with his arms spread wide.

“This is beautiful,” he said, basking in the sun. “It feels great out here.”

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Elsewhere in the Los Angeles Basin, there was no relief from the heat.

Downtown Los Angeles posted a high of 101, just one point shy of the record. Long Beach came in at 103, Pasadena at 106 and La Canada at 105, sending thousands to the beaches and straining regional power systems to keep air conditioners chugging.

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Heat Watch

One San Fernando record fell Saturdasy and other could topple today.

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Saturday Record City highs for day Burbank 104 109 (1967) Chatsworth 113 110 (1985) Glendale 94 n/a Lancaster 107 107 (1950) Newhall 104 n/a Van Nuys 107 n/a Woodland Hills 108 112 (1976)

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Sources: WeatherData, National Weather Service

Keeping Cool as Valley Sizzles

With weather forecasters predicitng sizzlilng temperatures for the next several days in the San Fernando Valley, heat-related maladies become an all too-real threat. Below is a guide to recognizing the sysmptoms of serious conditions and taking first-aid measures. Also listed are tip for avoiding overheating.

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Heat dangers

Heat cramps: Usually affect the legs and/or abdomen. Can signal the early stages of more serous heat-related injuries. Restings in a cool area, drinking cool fluids and massaging the cramped areas is often enough to counter the symptoms.

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Heat exhaustion: Marked by headaches, nausea, dizziness or fatigue. Treatment is the same as for heat cramps but should be administered promptly to avoid mild shock or heatstroke.

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Heatstroke: When left untreated, heatstroke can be fatal as the body, overwhelmed by fatigue, begins to stop functioning. Symptoms include low or high body temperature, red or dry skin, progressive loss of consciousness, rapid or weak pulse, shallow breathing and vomiting. Seek emergency care immediately.

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Tips for staying cool

Drink plenty of water.

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Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing.

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Try to avoid going outside between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. when the rays of the sun are strongest.

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Use sunscreen when outside during the day, even if conditions are cloudy.

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Wear a hat with a brim.

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Eat small meals throughout the day.

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Avoid foods high in protein, which increases metabolic heat.

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Skip alcoholic and caffeinated beverages.

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Avoid using salt tablets unless told to do so by a doctor.

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Work out in the early mornings or evenings. On very hot days, excercise indoors.

Sources: American Cancer Society, American Academy of Dermatology, Wellness Encyclopedia.