- NEWS
- SPORTS
- Ducks go to shootout to douse Flames 3 hours & 19 minutes ago
- UCLA's 10 most notable wins over USC 1 hour & 46 minutes ago
- Flames' Iginla serves as inspiration 3 hours & 24 minutes ago
- Rookie goes from O.C. to NBA with big detour
- BUSINESS
- ENTERTAINMENT
- LIFE
- TRAVEL
- OPINION
Temps rise to 105 degrees in parched O.C.
August 29th, 2009, 5:00 am · 18 Comments · posted by Gary Robbins, science writer-editor
Sun-worshippers flocked to Bolsa Chica State Beach on Friday. Image by Gary Robbins, The Register
Temperatures broke records for the second straight day in Orange County, as the mercury rose to 100 degrees in Santa Ana, two degrees higher than the previous high for Aug. 29 (set in 1998), and 92 at John Wayne Airport, breaking the previous record by six degrees. (Record set in 2007).
But those weren’t the hottest spots in Orange County, where temperatures will again rise into the upper 90s on Sunday. By noon today, the temperature had hit 105 degrees in Bell Canyon, in south county, and 101 in Modjeska Canyon. The heat developed quickly, in part, because of light, dry, offshore winds this morning.
(Wind monitor.) (O.C. surf webcams.) Laguna dive conditions.)
Register reporter Laylan Connelly’s Saturday heat photo essay.
The National Weather Service says in a new advisory that, “The strong high aloft that has brought record heat to the region will begin to weaken and shift east Sunday through Tuesday … This will bring somewhat cooler weather, but with inland temps remaining about 5 degrees above seasonal averages. A shallow marine layer may redevelop as early as tonight but more likely Sunday night.”
“The ridge breaks down just a little more Sunday and Monday, which will bring most of the valleys down into the 90s and the beaches back into the 70s.”
That’s where the good news ends. The county, parched by one of its long and dangerous droughts, will heat up again by the middle of next week, though perhaps not to the point where the temperature hits 109 degrees, as it did Friday in Silverado Canyon. For a second straight day.
Forecast for Angels 6:05 p.m. homegame against Detroit
Fast fact: On this day in 1998, the temperature hit 112 in Yorba Linda
Sample of today’s highest temps, through 6 p.m.
- Bell Canyon, south count 105 (smoke from area fires also reported)
- Modjeska Canyon, 101 (humidity 19%)
- Rancho Santa Margarita, 101
- Fremont Canyon, 101 (humidity 16%)
- Santa Ana, 100
- Mission Viejo, 98
- Foothill Ranch, 97
- Lake Forest, 97
- Aliso Viejo, 97
- Tonner Canyon, 96
- Trabuco Canyon, 95
- Silverado Canyon: 95
- Ladera Ranch, 95
- Garden Grove: 94
- John Wayne Airport: 92
- Costa Mesa: 91
- Garden Grove, 90
- San Juan Capistrano, 88
- John Wayne Airport: 92
- Lake Mission Viejo, 85
- Irvine, 84
- San Clemente, 84
- Angel Stadium, Anaheim, 84
- Dana Point, 83
- Huntington Beach, 80
- Bolsa Chica, 80
- Seal Beach, 77
Air quality will be reasonably good inland today. But environment editor Pat Brennan reports that smoke from fires outside the county could drift this way. The Orange County Hiking Club has already cancelled some weekend hikes, and advised hikers to take special precautions.
At the coast, waves will be in the 3-to-4 foot range in the better spots, with occasional sets to 5-feet, all of which will produce rip currents, says Surfline of Huntington Beach. Ocean temperatures remain in the low-to-mid 60s. Inexperienced swimmers should only enter the ocean in front of lifeguard towers that are staffed. Hurricane Jimena is picking up strength southwest of Baja California, and could send surf to O.C. to a couple of days. Boating forecast. Live satellite loop of hurricane.
- Tips on staying cool
- Caring for pets during a heat wave
- Beating the heat at Disneyland and California Adventure
- Symptoms, treatment of heat stroke
- Current air quality advisory
DON’T MISS THIS: Win a ride on Eureka, the world’s largest airship
Follow Sciencedude on Twitter @grobbins, become a fan on Facebook, and watch his videos on the ocsciencedude channel of YouTube.
Earlier on Sciencedude:
Earlier of College Life:
18 Comments
-
ADVERTISEMENT
-
-
OC weather photos from readers
-
-
-
-
Fact or myth?
Brian Dunning of Laguna Niguel, producer of the popular Skeptoid podcast, separates fact from fiction in his new video series, InFact. Here's his take on the upcoming movie, "2012."
Sciencedude on Twitter-
Get Sciencedude by email
Subscribe to the Register's science news via e-mail.
-
-
-
ADVERTISEMENT
FINALLY! its so hott
Bloody heck! I’m going to be at Irvine Lake today……….looks like I’ll have to fish in my bikini!
sweet! im coming with ya!
Did you roast?
What’s lake about 90 degrees now?
It hit over 100 degrees! We had an event going on yesterday (Team57, fishingnetwork.net event) and I didn’t even consider fishing, it was just too hot!
Let’s go to Vegas! It could be 111° in the shade, but it’s a dry heat.
So’s your oven, doesn’t mean I want to get in it. (Used to live there, everythings fine until about 110, then it’s just plain hot)
107 in Lake Forest yesterday and 92 as of 10:45 this morning. ENOUGH ALREADY!
it’s nice here in newport beach. about 75 and cloudy. plus we have the A/C if it gets a lil warm. man all you inlanders are gonna get cooked again. i love it! maybe i’ll just go get in the pool. we’ll see …………… la la la !!!
Gary - I’ve reconsidered. You ARE alarmist.
You write: “….The county, parched by one of its long and dangerous droughts…..”
More accurately should read: “…..The county, parched as it ALWAYS is this time of year, at the end of a long dry summer and during a significant heat wave…..”
As it applies to fire danger: Again, it’s ALWAYS high this time of year. And even moreso later into the Fall when the winds blow.
Tell you what: here’s a bet. I bet there is ZERO correlation between rainfall during the previous year or two and the number and severity of fires in the succeeding years. Surely some smart guys at the Forest Service or CalFire or some university has looked into this.
Well, that’s my story…..and until proven otherwise, I’m stickin’ to it! LOL
Jimmy: There are different levels of drought, as defined by the federal government Last year at this time the county was categorized as being in an extreme drought, which is worse than severe drought.
I have lived here all my life (40 years) and i have never seen hillsides as dry as this.Seriously, experince is over your “thinking”
Now, we can have fires in Winter, Summer, Spring, and Fall. Wait..did i just mention all year long????? I guess i did, why? because its true, we are in a drought, and that makes things worse. I remember the times were fires would only start if there would be santa ana winds to fuel it. lso, we would never get more than one or two big fires a year. Sometimes, we didnt even get anyfires. Now, we get them CONSTANTLY! I mean look at the station fire, its being fueled by the dry brush which is as dry as your face right now with this heat.
Think about it, if it rains a lot during winter, we will NOT get fires during winter, spring, and summer, during fall we ususally would have a small one..
but when its dry like we have been, we can get fires ANY time of the year.
Experience - Everything you presented is anecdotal. And I do recall hearing fire officers state (and certainly with some logic) that the big rains of an El Nino arent necessarily always good vis-a-vis fire danger. More rain = more brush = more fuel to burn when things get hot, dry and windy.
And if you want some science…..roll your mouse over some of the automated stations on the map here: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/mwmap.php?wfo=&map=sgx&sort=name&list=1
Here’s Fremont Canyon. 4% fuel moisture. http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/getobext.php?sid=FRCC1&table=1&banner=off
Give you fuel moisture and fuel temperature, as well as the more standard weather info. Mr Chaparral doesn’t care about droughts or rain-laden El Ninos. All Mr Chaparral knows is that he is hot and dry right now, and given an ignition source he will burn.
As I said, I am open to the hypothesis that extended drought = more and worse fires. Anecdotal evidence doesn’t cut it.
Ever notice that when there’s a bad cold snap somewhere in the midwest or northeast in the middle of winter, all the flat-earthers come out of the woodwork with comments like “so much for global warming, bla, bla, bla.”
But when it’s significantly hotter and drier than normal these folks don’t make a peep!
The reverend Al Gore is right???
Ever notice that when there’s a bad heat wave somewhere in the midwest or northeast in the middle of summer, all the global warming zealots come out of the woodwork with comments like “see! global warming is upon us, bla, bla, bla.”
But when it’s significantly cooler and wetter than normal (as is has been in the Midwest and Northeast this summer) these folks don’t make a peep!