Heat Contributes to Power Meltdown

Hot on the heels of a serious case of June gloom, seemingly sweltering temperatures hit Tuesday, and Orange County residents did what they could to escape the heat.

Many cranked up their air conditioners and clicked on their fans for relief, which may have contributed to a power outage in Irvine that left 5,000 customers without electricity for almost five hours.

“It was really hot out there,” said Tom Boyd, spokesman for Southern California Edison. “There was probably a little too much power being used. When you combine the heat with more people using electricity, it really puts a strain on the system.”

Temperatures hit the mid-80s inland and the mid-70s near the coast.

Surprisingly, Tuesday was only slightly above average temperature-wise, according to WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times. While many complained about the heat and sought to cool off, it was just a little warmer than the normal 80 degrees for this time of year.

But there is relief in sight. A slight cooling trend is expected as the weekend approaches.

Still, denizens headed to Orange County beaches in droves Tuesday.

“It’s a beautiful, warm day and there’s a pretty big crowd out there,” said Huntington Beach lifeguard Eric Dieterman. “The number of people coming to the beach has finally started to pick up in the last couple of weeks.”

Temperatures hit 85 degrees in Anaheim and Santa Ana, and 76 in Newport Beach and Dana Point.