CHILLIN' IN L.A.; COLD NIGHTS DEFY CITY'S IMAGE AS NATIONAL HOT SPOT.

Byline: Steve Carney Staff Writer

No need to head for the ice rink at Rockefeller Center to get in a holiday mood - Los Angeles has been colder than New York City.

The Big Apple's low was 52 degrees Monday, while downtown L.A. was 44, and the mercury hit 39 in Woodland Hills.

``We're getting pretty good lows. Near-record, but not quite,'' said meteorologist Bruce Rockwell with the National Weather Service office in Oxnard.

Lancaster dropped to 17 degrees on Monday, tying a record set in 1959 and prompting the opening of a homeless shelter.

``They're a lot further inland and they're at a higher elevation,'' Rockwell said, so Lancaster is often colder in the winter and warmer in the summer than other spots in the region.

The cool nighttime lows are expected to last through the week, even as Santa Ana winds kick up late today, and showers possibly arrive Friday, forecasters said.

For most areas, this week's chill doesn't bring any freeze danger, forecasters said.

Low temperatures in the San Fernando Valley hovered around 40 degrees early Monday and were expected to do the same tonight. But the same cloudless skies that are making for crisp, cold nights are warming up the landscape in the daytime.

The lack of clouds is letting the sun - even low as it is in the sky - warm the area into the low 70s. Northridge hit 74 degrees Monday, while Woodland Hills reached 73 and Burbank was 70. But with no blanket of clouds to hold it in, that warmth dissipates into the open nighttime sky, Rockwell said.

``Generally in La Nina years, this is the type of weather you get,'' Rockwell said. Days ``tend to be a little bit colder and more dry.''

The La Nina weather phenomenon - marked by colder-than-normal temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean - led to a cool and dry winter in Southern California last year, and is forecast to do the same this year. Between July 1 and Monday, Los Angeles received 0.44 inches of rain. The normal total is 3.31 inches, and last year the total to date was 1.85.

That doesn't mean there's no rain on the horizon, however. Clouds will begin to roll into the Southland, as a low-pressure system heading south from Oregon may bring rain and blustery winds Friday, said Weather Service meteorologist John Slemmer.

That will follow a dose of Santa Anas midweek, with winds averaging 20 to 30 mph in the Valley, and higher gusts in the passes and canyons, he said.

Lows throughout the Valley will remain in the high 30s to low 40s all week, while highs will decrease through the week, reaching only 60 to 65 degrees Friday, he said.

In addition to Lancaster, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority also opened shelters in Pomona and San Dimas to give folks a place out of the cold. Until Dec. 16, when it will open all 20 of its shelters, the LAHSA opens facilities when the Weather Service predicts a temperature of 40 or below, or a 50 percent chance of precipitation, said program specialist Scott Milbourn.

So today only the Lancaster shelter will stay open, while those in Glendale, Sylmar, Santa Clarita and elsewhere will remain closed, he said.

LAHSA's cold weather winter shelter hotline, [phone], offers information about shelter openings and locations.

Meanwhile, the dropping temperatures have boosted at least one activity - buying Christmas trees, said John Irwin, manager at the Green Thumb Nursery in Canoga Park.

``People are a little bit more in the mood to buy trees when it gets colder. And it helps the trees, too,'' he said. ``That's kind of what the trees are used to. They can stand four to five hours of warmer temperatures, as long as they're going to get cooled down in the evening.''