TROPICAL HEAT WAVE HITS L.A.

Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer

Angelenos wilted Thursday during a tropical heat wave expected to become muggier through the weekend with added moisture from former Hurricane Emily.

With humidity soaring and record temperatures up to 106 in the San Fernando Valley, residents likened Los Angeles more to Miami or a tough spell in the Big Easy.

``I'm not looking for sunstroke,'' said a somewhat wilted Isabel Mestler of Woodland Hills, schlepping peach-colored geraniums from Home Depot to her car. ``I'm going to wait to do my gardening first thing in the morning.''

Thursday morning started muggy and got worse. By midday, air conditioners hummed across Los Angeles as residents hoped to ward off misery and power companies struggled to match record power demand.

By midafternoon, residents were flocking to cooling shelters and to air-conditioned shopping malls.

Heat-related admissions were up at local hospitals, and Los Angeles County health officials reported two heat-related deaths.

``We all need to drink more fluids, even if you're not thirsty,'' said Los Angeles County Health Officer Dr. Jonathan Fielding. ``People also need to remember not to exert themselves, especially at midday.''

Records were broken in Woodland Hills and Chatsworth, where the mercury hit 106 and 105 degrees, respectively. Highs reached 98 in Burbank, 100 in Newhall and Northridge, 101 in Van Nuys, 104 in Lancaster, 97 in Simi Valley and 90 degrees in downtown Los Angeles.

Forecasters said temperatures were expected to hit 103 degrees today, cooling slightly with muggy conditions expected to continue into the middle of next week.

The record heat wave was blamed on a high pressure system over the Southwestern deserts, with an easterly monsoon bringing muggy misery to Southern California. This weekend, the high humidity is expected to be compounded by Tropical Storm Emily as it tracks across the Mexican Plateau.

``It feels very hot - similar to Miami or even Panama or Costa Rica,'' said Bruce Rockwell of the National Weather Service. ``We'll get the leftovers from Hurricane Emily in a couple of days. It's a monsoonal event.''

But though Emily may reach into Southern California, forecasters say such spinoffs are rare, despite heavier-than-average tropical storms or hurricanes expected for the Caribbean and North Atlantic.

``The Atlantic is operating on high-octane hurricane fuel because it's so warm,'' said Bill Patzert, research oceanographer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

``The high probability is that hurricanes will hit the East Coast and move toward the Midwest, not Los Angeles.''

On Thursday, state power grid operators issued a Stage 2 alert, while Southern California Edison was forced to cut power to 155,000 residents.

Power use in Los Angeles hit a record 5,661 megawatts. Despite the load, the Department of Water and Power managed to sell 550 megawatts to utilities throughout the West.

``We have an ample power supply,'' said DWP spokeswoman Carol Tucker, who urged residents to conserve power.

Utilities in Burbank and Glendale reported near-record power use. Meanwhile, air-conditioning repair businesses were operating at full throttle.

``We had calls at 7 o'clock in the morning with people begging us to fix their A/C units,'' said Grace Cervantes, a dispatcher with EJ Service in Van Nuys. ``Every truck is out - the phones just won't stop ringing.''

Even wildlife suffered from the muggy heat, as racing pigeons dropped out of the clouds.

``With this heat, they're exhausted and sometimes just fall out of the sky,'' said Victoria Harrison, an animal technician at the West Valley Animal Shelter in North Hollywood, which has been caring for the birds and sending them on their way.

``I had one fall right in front of me and almost ran him over.''

Dana Bartholomew, [phone]

dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Youngsters play under the spray of a garden hose at the West Valley Boys & Girls Club on Thursday in Canoga Park.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer