Brutal Heat Wave Expected to Ebb Just a Bit Today

Weather watchers are promising cooler weather, if only by a few degrees, throughout Ventura County today, the first break in a heat wave that began broiling the region last week.

The news brought relief to many--especially to landlocked residents of Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Ojai and Santa Paula.

“I called my friend to complain yesterday. She’s the one who suggested I move” to Thousand Oaks from the Bay Area, said Sally Jackels, who took her children to cool off at the Thousand Oaks High School pool Wednesday.

“I asked her, ‘Just how hot does it get?’ She swore it’s not always like this.”

Simi Valley temperatures soared to 109 degrees Wednesday, breaking a 1983 record of 108. Oxnard also reached an all-time high of 86 degrees, up from 84 recorded in 1961, according to the National Weather Service. Another type of record was set in Port Hueneme.

For the first time in at least 15 years, the entire beach, which extends two miles along the city’s coastline, was “blackballed” by city lifeguards. That means it was closed to both swimmers and surfers because of Hurricane Guillermo and another tropical storm brewing in Mexico.

Port Hueneme lifeguards patrolled the beach, warning those who ventured onto the sand to stay out of the ocean, where waves swelled as high as 12 feet.

“We’ve never seen ‘em this big before,” said lifeguard Chad Brewer. He added that the lifeguard tower at Port Hueneme Pier, which was wiped out during 1995 storms, was holding up to the waves, although it was “rocking and rolling” because of the tumultuous surf.

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Waves at state beaches were equally high, though no closings were necessary, said state lifeguard Scott Parrish.

Parrish said there were about two dozen rescues Wednesday at the San Buenaventura State Beach and more than 300 “preventive measures,” where lifeguards meet swimmers face to face to warn them of rip currents or other dangers. Usually, only 100 such contacts are necessary on an average day, he said.

People forced to stay inside and depend on blasts of cold air helped Southern California Edison set its own record.

The power company reported that 19,084 megawatts were used by households in parts of Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Riverside counties.

The company’s last record was set Tuesday, when usage exceeded 18,700 megawatts. One megawatt has enough power to supply up to 1,000 homes on any given day, said Edison spokesman Steve Hansen.

“We have air-conditioning to blame for [this record],” he said.

To conserve energy, Hansen advised people to keep their thermostats set at 78 degrees, even though they might be tempted to crank it lower. Also, pulling down shades and using fans provide some relief from the heat without sapping too much power, he said.

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Those who had to toil outside--without the benefit of air conditioners--tried to keep cool by wearing white and drinking fluids.

A plastering crew working to finish a new Applebee’s restaurant in Thousand Oaks lunched under a shade tree, chugging down Cokes in giant plastic tumblers, wiping the sweat and concrete caking up on their skin.

One of the men, Frank Gonzalez of Santa Paula, joked that he was smart enough to drink water, not caffeine-laden soda, on such a sweltering day.

Not everyone despaired because of heat. Seaside inns and hotels reported that they were hanging “No Vacancy” signs midweek as sweating inland refugees stormed their oases.

“We love the heat,” said Rod Houck, co-owner and general manager of Pierpont Inn by the Sea on Sanjon Road in Ventura. “Just bring it on.”

He said the inn’s phones have been “ringing off the hook,” mostly from callers in the San Fernando Valley, Bakersfield and “people dying in L.A.” who come to enjoy the ocean breezes. Usually, summer occupancy at the 72-room inn reaches only 70% on weekdays, he said.

Rooms at the Cliff House Inn on West Pacific Coast Highway near La Conchita are also filled for the next several weeks, said Marcia Stratton, assistant front desk manager.

“We’re always busy in August,” she said, “but the heat really packs them in.”

No heat-related injuries were reported countywide by hospitals or paramedics.

“Everyone seems to be real sensible,” said Ojai Ambulance spokeswoman Wynne Howells, adding that an extra ambulance was on call all day as a precaution.