CLOUDS GIVE LOS ANGELES A BREAK : STORM-WEARY RESIDENTS SOAK UP WINTER SUNSHINE.Byline: Eric Wahlgren Daily News Staff Writer All it took was one full day of sunshine Tuesday and - presto change-o - waterlogged wa·ter·logged adj. 1. Nautical Heavy and sluggish in the water because of flooding, as in the hold: a waterlogged ship. 2. Angelenos had turned back into their sun-worshiping selves, with gusto. After 14 days of on-again, off-again on-a·gain, off-a·gain adj. Informal Existing or continuing sporadically; intermittent or occasional: an on-again, off-again correspondence. rain this month, people needed no other reason than Tuesday's unrelenting sun to take down their convertible tops, put on their sunglasses sunglasses A tinted pair of glasses used to ↓ light arriving at the eye, which are labeled according to the amount of UV light blocked; nonprescription glasses are classified according to use and amount of UV radiation blocked Sunglasses and push aside hot mochas for frozen coffees. ``This is the only reason I live in L.A.,'' said 52-year-old Frieda Amir, enjoying the balmy afternoon weather while munching on an ice cream bar An ice cream bar is a frozen dessert on a stick or a candy bar that has ice cream in it. The coating is usually a thin layer of chocolate. Sometimes there is some crunchy goodness on the outside too. at a Canoga Park carwash. ``It's scary living here because of earthquakes. The sun is the only saving grace,'' said the Israeli native, now a West Hills resident. And then there was the welcome return of the heat: The mercury hit 75 degrees in Woodland Hills and Burbank on Tuesday and 78 degrees at the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Civic Center. ``It's going to be clear and dry through the weekend with some breezy offshore winds,'' said Dennis Tussey, a National Weather Service meteorologist. He said San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. temperatures should reach the upper 70s. January sure was soggy - a total of 5.58 inches of rain have fallen to date. But the record remains in January 1969, when more than 14 inches of rain fell over a period of just 10 days. Perhaps Los Angeles residents feel it has been raining in biblical proportions because the breaks between storms have been relatively short. The longest stretch of clear weather this month lasted only six days between Jan. 5 and Jan. 12. ``Usually we have longer breaks,'' Tussey said. Like Amir, hundreds of motorists with mud-splattered cars flocked to the Red Carpet Car Wash on Tuesday, setting off a cash-register ringing sound in manager Jeff Elbaum's head. ``This is what it's all about,'' said Elbaum, pointing above to the solid blue sky, spotted only by a few lacy clouds. ``There's no better news for us than a five-day forecast of sunshine.'' That forecast also encouraged one Encino resident, who was sipping an iced latte in the sun outside a Topanga Plaza mall coffeehouse while he played hooky from work. ``I'm nursing a cold that I got while tromping around in the rain,'' said the 50-year-old man, who identified himself only as Gary to avoid his bosses' recriminations. ``Maybe I can sweat it out now.'' Not everyone abhorred the rainstorms. Maxine Thompkins, who was walking her dog at Shadow Ranch Park in West Hills, said she had not minded the soggy weather, but said that the break from it had clearly lifted her pooch Keeta's spirits. ``She's having a real good time today,'' said the 86-year-old West Hills resident, as her Chihuahua-dachshund mix padded along at her side. ``She got a longer walk.'' CAPTION(S): 3 Photos Photo: (1) Bruce Richardson aids his daughter Sophia with a treat Tuesday. Myung J. Chun/Daily News (2) Al Nicholson Al Nicholson (born April 26, 1936 in Estevan, Saskatchewan) is a former ice hockey left winger. He played in 19 games for the Boston Bruins and recorded one assist. External links Al Nicholson's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database of North Hollywood has his skating blocked at the Sepulveda Dam Located in Los Angeles, California, the Sepulveda Dam is a project of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, built in 1941 to control winter flood waters along the Los Angeles River. Recreation Area. Michael Owen
(3) Leonard Estrada washes a windshield during an increase in business at the Woodland Hills Car Wash. David R. Sprague/Daily News |
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