COLDEST APRIL; TEMPERATURES BREAK '67 RECORD.Byline: Jesse Hiestand Daily News Staff Writer It's official: April 1999 so far has been the coldest on record, breaking records with temperatures that make more sense in Alaska than here. After a warm, dry La Nina La Niña n. A cooling of the ocean surface off the western coast of South America, occurring periodically every 4 to 12 years and affecting Pacific and other weather patterns. winter, the average low temperature 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 has been 46.6 degrees so far this month, less than the average 48.3-degree record for April set in 1967, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Western Regional Climate Center. ``If these temperatures kept up it would shatter the record,'' said Jim Ashby, climatologist cli·ma·tol·o·gy n. The meteorological study of climates and their phenomena. cli  ma·to·log at the Climate Center, a research institute at the University of Nevada, Reno The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada or UNR) is a university located in Reno, Nevada, USA, and is known for its programs in agricultural research, animal biotechnology, and mining-related engineering and natural sciences. . Forecasters said today Los Angeles will get a brief respite from the wet weather, with mostly sunny skies and highs into the upper 60s. Overnight lows are still expected to dip into dip into Verb 1. to draw upon: he dipped into his savings 2. to read passages at random from (a book or journal) Verb 1. the 40s, and Sunday the rain could return by the afternoon. Making it even colder than it seemed were winds strong enough to topple a palm tree Friday onto a Hancock Park
Hancock Park is a park in Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California which is the location of the La Brea Tar Pits, the George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries, and LACMA. man, leaving him paralyzed par·a·lyze tr.v. par·a·lyzed, par·a·lyz·ing, par·a·lyz·es 1. To affect with paralysis; cause to be paralytic. 2. To make unable to move or act: paralyzed by fear. . No need to tell Julie Haft, 44, as she pulled a heavy coat tight while walking through the Balboa Sports Center in Encino. ``This reminds me of Detroit weather - windy and very cold in the day,'' she said. ``I thought I'd get away from that in L.A. But I don't like it here either.'' Snow-capped Snow´-capped` a. 1. Having the top capped or covered with snow; as, snow-capped mountains s>. Adj. 1. Mount Wilson hit a low of 18 degrees before dawn Friday, one degree colder than it was at the same time in Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks (IPA: /ˈfɛərbæŋks/) is a Home Rule City in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. , meteorologists Atmospheric scientists
New low temperature records were set Friday in Simi Valley and Oxnard. The cold temperatures hail from a series of Alaskan storms that have hit Los Angeles in recent weeks because of an unusual southern shift in the jet stream. That shift ``is like an open door policy to the north pole - it's just sucking the cold air down our way,'' said National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Hoffer. ``Our weather spotter called in from the foothills north of Glendale with a low temperature of 32 degrees'' Friday, said weather service specialist Stuart Seto. ``For him that was the second coldest April in 40 years of keeping records.'' Weather experts said relief may be in sight, but not before another one of these Alaskan storms arrives on Sunday, dropping daytime temperatures back into the low 60s and bringing a chance of showers in the late afternoon or evening, Seto said. ``That will probably be the last in this series,'' said AccuWeather meteorologist Mark Tobin. ``The jet stream might head north by the middle of next week,'' allowing the return of the high pressure and milder weather. Sales of fuel for gas-powered heaters have been warming up. ``People come in when it gets cold for the heaters in their motor homes and trailers,'' said Rob McGhie of Balboa Equipment Rental in North Hills. The cold has been even more unbearable because of the strong winds that have accompanied these late-season storms. Winds of 15 to 25 mph whipped through the 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. on Friday, with gusts to 30 mph. The gusts knocked over a 60-foot palm tree in Hancock Park on Friday, fire officials said. The tree fell on a 32-year-old man who lived across the street, paralyzing him from the waist down due to severe spinal and head trauma. He was taken to Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center in critical condition. The winds also forced Burbank airport to reverse the direction planes could land Friday morning, and a freeway sign warned motorists in the Cahuenga Pass of the high winds. Overnight, gusts of 30 mph to 40 mph made some mountain areas feel a wind chill wind chill, the cooling effect of wind and temperature combined, expressed in terms of the effect produced by a lower, windless temperature, also called wind chill factor, wind chill temperature, wind chill equivalent temperature, wind chill index, wind chill temperature of 10 degrees to 20 degrees below zero, prompting the weather service to issue an official ``dangerously low wind chill'' advisory. The wind and cold brought the snow level down to 2,000 feet in some areas. Thursday's storm brought about one-tenth of an inch of rain to most parts of Los Angeles and about an inch of new snow to local mountains. ``The snow in the mountains is pretty, but I wish the wind would calm down,'' Martha Garcia, 53, said Friday while walking 15-month-old Eduardo through an Encino park. ``I'm just hoping it gets nice and stays nice.'' Many parts of the Southland shivered through overnight temperatures that were just two or three degrees away from setting new records, Seto said. Oxnard did set a new record with 36 degrees, one degree colder than the record set in 1953. Simi Valley also set a new record with 29 degrees. The old record was 42 degrees in 1967. Lancaster tied its record low of 31 degrees, also set in 1967. And while the Civic Center remained on a record-setting pace, some parts of the Valley were even colder. Burbank has averaged a low of 42.3 degrees for the first nine days of the month, compared to 46.6 degree average temperature at the civic center. Overall, temperatures have been running about 10 degrees below normal, weather officials said. The high at the civic center Friday was 63 degrees, where normally it would be 72 degrees, Seto said. RECORD LOWS IN APRIL The Civic Center has set a record, based on information dating back 50 years: Average: 54.2 degrees 1976: 49.2 degrees 1975: 48.6 degrees 1967: 48.3 degrees 1999: 46.6 degrees SOURCE: Western Regional Climate Center CAPTION(S): 2 Photos, Chart PHOTO (1--Color) Snow is visible on the mountains behind downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or on Friday, when Mount Wilson hit a predawn pre·dawn n. The time just before dawn. pre  dawn adj. low of 18 degrees. David Sprague/Daily News (2) Mike and Lillian Acosta feel the cold as they watch their daughter play softball Friday. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News CHART: RECORD LOWS IN APRIL (see text) |
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