Heat Wave Recedes as Marine Air Flows Inland; Preview of June Gloom Is Expected

Moist marine air moved inland over metropolitan Los Angeles on Monday morning, signaling a gradual end to the heat wave that baked much of inland Southern California over the weekend.

The high temperature Monday in Palm Springs was 106 degrees, still plenty hot, but 6 degrees below Sunday’s high of 112, which set a record for the date. Burbank’s high Monday was 81, down from Sunday’s 93. In downtown Los Angeles, Monday’s high was 78, well below Sunday’s 86.

The National Weather Service said the cooler weather was due to the breakdown of a ridge of high pressure that had blocked the onshore flow of marine air during the weekend. Low clouds and fog were expected along the coast this morning, providing a preview of the gloom that often shrouds Los Angeles during June.

Forecasters said the morning overcast should continue at least through Sunday, and probably into early next week. Skies in most areas should clear by noon, with afternoon highs in the 70s and 80s.

The weekend heat had prompted Southern Californians to seek refuge wherever they could find it. Tens of thousands headed for the beaches, and the heat Sunday evening even prompted a bear to take a cooling dip in a homeowner’s pool in the Knollwood area of Granada Hills.

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, state Fish and Game personnel tossed a noose around the bear, shot it with a tranquilizer gun and hauled it out of the pool. After the bear fell asleep, it was taken to the Santa Susana Mountains, where it was released.

Officials said that although the bear made a few people nervous, it did not harm anyone. Bear sightings have become increasingly frequent in hillside neighborhoods in recent years.

Meteorologists said they didn’t know how hot it got in Granada Hills on Sunday, but in nearby Woodland Hills, the top reading was 104, breaking the old record for the date of 101, set in 1988.

Monday’s highs included 82 in Van Nuys, 81 in San Gabriel, 78 in Torrance and 71 in Avalon, Redondo Beach and at Los Angeles International Airport.