Summer Makes Its Debut

The first day of summer felt like it Tuesday, with clear skies, temperatures in the 80s, 90s and even the 100s in Southern California and the prospect of more warm, sunny weather for the next few days.

The sun rose in Los Angeles at 5:13 a.m., marking the beginning of the longest daylight of the year, the summer solstice. Sunset wasn’t until 14 hours and 55 minutes later, at 8:08 p.m. The shortest night of the year was brightened by a full moon.

Tuesday’s top readings in Los Angeles County included 96 degrees in Chatsworth, 91 in Burbank, 89 in Pasadena and 83 in downtown Los Angeles.

In Orange County, San Juan Canyon reached 92, Anaheim hit 91 and Yorba Linda reached 89. Not surprisingly, it was even hotter farther inland, with Rialto and Riverside each recording 97, Hemet reaching 100 and Palm Springs hitting 113.

The National Weather Service said it should be just as warm today.

“But June gloom may not be over,” said Bill Patzert, a meteorologist with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge. “We could have a few more cloudy days into July.”

Patzert said large-scale ocean-temperature patterns seem to indicate a cooler-than-normal summer, much as they have been for the last five years. And that should lead to better air quality.

Less heat means less production of ozone, a primary component of air pollution, Patzert said. And less heat means that inversion layers, which trap pollutants over the Los Angeles Basin, will be weaker.

The summer’s first grass fire in Los Angeles erupted shortly before 11 a.m. Tuesday in the Mount Washington area, but it didn’t amount to much. The blaze blacked about a quarter of an acre in the 600 block of North Cross Avenue before city fire units put it out, officials said. No structures were threatened.

Another blaze scorched about a half-acre of brush near Castaic about 4 p.m. Again, no buildings were threatened.

The Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks greeted summer with the announcement that 33 seasonal swimming pools will open at 1 p.m. Saturday, joining the 15 municipal swimming facilities that remain open throughout the year.

Under a program introduced six years ago, children under 17, seniors over 65 and disabled people of all ages may swim at the city pools free. The charge for other adults is $1.50. Information about swimming facilities can be obtained at (888) LA-PARKS.

Forecasters said high temperatures should range from the 70s along the coast to the 90s in the warmest parts of the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys through Thursday. Expect higher temperatures farther inland. Except for some morning patchy clouds and fog near the coast, skies were expected to be sunny all day.

A low-pressure system off the coast should begin moving inland Friday, with increasing morning cloudiness and slightly lower temperatures through the weekend and into early next week, the Weather Service said.