WESTMINSTER, Calif. — Southern California was slammed with the second day of a heat wave Thursday that raised the risk of wildfires and left many schoolchildren to sweat it out in aging classrooms.
Gusty Santa Ana winds swept warm air across the region, according to the National Weather Service. Residents were warned of the risk of heat-related illnesses and urged to stay out of the midday sun.
Several places had record high temperatures for the day. Los Angeles International Airport hit 97, breaking the old record of 95 set in 1999.
A high of 99 at the Long Beach airport and 98 in Camarillo both broke 1965 records.
While many newer schools have air conditioning, those that don’t cranked up fans and rotated teachers through air conditioned portable units to keep students cool. School officials sent messages home urging parents to dress children in loose, lightweight clothing and bring water bottles to stay hydrated.
At Fryberger Elementary School in the Orange County city of Westminster, the second- and third-graders in Stacy Georgetti’s classroom lined up for feedback on a writing assignment as enormous ceiling fans moved air overhead. While the classroom wasn’t too warm early Thursday, after a few days of scorching temperatures it can become unbearable, Georgetti said.
The hotter-than-usual conditions also posed a risk of extreme fire danger in already dry Southern California. Red flag conditions from heat and gusty winds coupled with low humidity and tinder-dry brush were projected to continue through Thursday night from coastal counties northwest of Los Angeles down to the Mexico border.
An expanding high-pressure ridge was expected to push temperatures 15 percent to 20 percent above normal in some areas before the heat wave begins to ease slightly on Friday, according to forecasters.
In Riverside County, firefighters jumped on a brush fire Thursday and quashed it before it could spread.
Already this year, California wildfires have destroyed dozens of homes while burning through drought-parched mountains and ranchlands.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department planned to place more than a dozen extra fire engines and their crews in brushy, hilly areas west and north of Los Angeles to rapidly respond if wildfires erupt.
