June 19, 2008
By Allison Hoffman, AP
LOS ANGELES — Southern California roasted Thursday in a record-breaking, end-of-spring heat wave that sent temperatures soaring past 100 degrees in many areas, posing hazards for anyone who ventured outside.
Photo: A child eats a snow cone at the Los Angeles Zoo, in Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 18, 2008. A spring heat wave sent Southern California temperatures to record levels Wednesday with 100 degrees plus readings in the worst areas. (By Luis Sinco, LA Times via AP)Temperatures were expected to climb to new highs Thursday and Friday as a strong high-pressure system cooked the air from the central coast south to Los Angeles and San Diego, the National Weather Service said.
WEATHER GUYS: Summer sizzle arrives early in the Southwest
Forecasters warned people to take precautions ahead of a very hot afternoon that could quickly kill children or animals left in cars, even if the windows are cracked open. The Van Nuys area of Los Angeles hit 100 at midmorning.
The region began to warm at the start of the week and authorities in San Bernardino County linked the heat to the death of 77-year-old Joyce Sanders on Monday near the California-Arizona state line south of Lake Havasu.
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The Oracle, Ariz., woman appeared to have left her car in search of her 89-year-old husband, Virgil, on a day when temperatures reached 116 degrees in the Colorado River region. Investigators believe the woman died after falling on a hillside; the pair were found by a passerby who stopped after seeing their empty car on the road.
It was unclear why Virgil Sanders left the car. He was taken to a Phoenix-area hospital in a coma and suffering second- and third-degree burns from the sun and ground contact, according to sheriff's Sgt. Tim Smith.
"There's no foul play suspected — it's just a tragedy is all," Smith said.
The hot air and dry brush also brought heightened wildfire risks throughout the region.
Firefighters and air crews Thursday battled a 50-acre brush fire after a car ran off the road and burst into flames 70 miles east of San Diego. A man believed to have been driving alone was killed, according to the California Highway Patrol, which was investigating the accident.
The mercury topped out at 107 degrees Wednesday in Woodland Hills, beating a previous record of 106 degrees set in 1989, according to the weather service. The Long Beach airport set a record with a 93 degree peak reading.
On the central coast, San Luis Obispo reached a record 99 degrees, Paso Robles was 102 and Atascadero reached 105.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
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