Heat, Humidity Hit Valley in Full Force

It’s the heat and the humidity.

A wave of moist air and near-record high temperatures led to Monday’s sweltering conditions that prompted San Fernando Valley residents to crank up air conditioners, jam public pools and limit outdoor activities.

The moist, monsoon-like air--flowing into the region from northern Mexico--pushed the relative humidity level up to 90% at 7 a.m., forecasters said. Although the humidity level dropped to 50% later in the day, it was still 10% to 20% higher than normal in typically arid Southern California.

The condition will linger through Thursday in the valleys and coastal areas, said Guy Pearson, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides forecast information to The Times.

Monday’s high temperatures reached 104 degrees in Chatsworth, 99 in Burbank, 107 in Woodland Hills, 103 in Van Nuys, 96 in Newhall and 90 in downtown Los Angeles, according to the National Weather Service.

More hot and humid weather is on tap for today, forecaster said. Highs are expected to range from 97 to 102 across the Valley with a chance of showers and thunderstorms predicted mainly in the evening.

Valley residents flocked to public pools Monday, sending attendance up 89% over the same period last year. City recreation and parks department officials attribute the increase to the searing heat and free admission for swimmers 17 and younger, seniors 65 and older, and people with disabilities. Children 6 and younger must be accompanied by a paying adult.

At Sierra Canyon Camp in Chatsworth--where a record high temperature of 105 was set in 1990--organizers were in high-temperature mode.

“You won’t see anyone outdoors on hot days; it’s not worth [the health risk],” said Executive Director Adam Horowitz, who oversees 900 campers ages 4 to 14. “On any day that is near 100 degrees or more, I look on a master schedule and move groups scheduled for outdoor activities indoors.”

Valerie Moody, day-care director at Hubert H. Humphrey Park in Pacoima, was using a similar strategy to help 47 children ages 5 to 13 beat the heat.

“We have moved up our outdoor recreation time from 9 a.m. to 8 a.m., bought bottles of water and put them in the freezer, and added more indoor programming,” she said. “We don’t want to stress anybody out--especially the staff.”

Workers at Union Ice Co. in Van Nuys were hustling to meet the demand for ice that sales manager Peter DeGrandis said has risen from 90 tons to 110 tons since the heat wave began on Saturday.

For delivering shaved, cubed and block ice under a blazing sun, DeGrandis said, workers get a cool reward when they return to the Bessemer Street plant: “They jump inside the freezer for a few minutes and cool off.”

Lighting sparked a brush fire that charred 10 acres north of Valencia on Monday afternoon, before it was extinguished by firefighters aided by water-dropping helicopters, authorities said.

No one was injured in the fire that started around 4:45 p.m. in a remote area of San Francisquito Canyon, about two miles north of Valencia, said Lt. Dan Castillo of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. No homes were threatened and the blaze was brought under control by 6 p.m.

The hot and sticky temperatures caused a 20% rise in electrical power consumption and an 8% hike in water usage in the Valley for the day compared with a week ago, said Darlene Battle, a spokeswoman for the city Department of Water and Power.

The Valley gobbled 5,440 megawatts of electricity during the peak usage period between 2 and 3 p.m., Battle said. The region’s record usage of 5,650 megawatts occurred Sept. 1, 1998.

To conserve power, Battle asked customers to set air conditioner thermostats at 78 degrees, wait until after dark to run washers, dryers, vacuums and electric ovens, and limit lawn-watering.

Meanwhile, county health officials urged residents to take precautions in the extreme heat.

“People sometimes forget they can’t keep up their usual routines when they are exposed to the brunt of summer heat,” said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of public health and health officer for Los Angeles County. “When temperatures climb, you should take simple preventive measures.”

Fielding gave 10 tips for beating the heat:

* Drink plenty of fluids.

* Use sunscreen.

* Eat smaller meals.

* Wear lightweight clothing.

* Wear wide-brimmed hats when outdoors.

* Avoid alcohol and caffeine.

* Avoid overexertion.

* Avoid unnecessary sun exposure.

* Never leave infants, children, elderly people and animals unattended in closed vehicles.

* Check with physician regarding heat-related reactions to medications.