Heat Wave Over

From the Los Angeles Times:

Temperatures were expected to ease today after a heat wave broke decades-old records and sent hundreds of thousands of Southern Californians to beaches this weekend and left them searching for new words to describe their misery.

"It's pretty much over with," said Bill Hoffer, a National Weather Service spokesman.

The arrival of a low pressure system from the Gulf of Alaska promises a return to normal temperatures this week with highs in the 70s at the beaches and in the 80s inland, he said.

Sunday wasn't quite as sweltering as previous days. Only one record was broken, at UCLA, where the 1949 high of 90 was topped by one degree.

But the thermometer hit triple-digit highs in a number of cities. It was 104 in Pasadena, 106 in Chatsworth and 116 in Palm Springs. Downtown Los Angeles had a high of 96, and Santa Ana, 99.

LaShawn and Melroy Payton woke up Sunday to wilting heat in their Watts home.

"You're laying on the sidewalk and you're an egg!" Payton, a home care nurse, said with a laugh. "The fans are blowing, and there's still no air."

The couple's pool and gazebo offered little relief.

"What other adjectives can you use? Hot. Miserable. Sticky. Sweaty," said Melroy, 51, a paralegal.

"It's more of a back-East-type feel where you get hot and muggy."

So they packed up and headed for Manhattan Beach.

As they set foot on sand in the early afternoon, they were met by a soft breeze.

A marine layer had brought a cooling haze.