March 15--The heat wave gripping Southern California brought new high temperature records Sunday as many fled to the beaches for relief.
According to the National Weather Service, downtown Los Angeles and Long Beach set new high temperatures for the day, at 90 degrees. Burbank and LAX also set new highs for the day.
The third day of the heat wave also saw patchy cloud cover that appears to have moderated the broiler conditions slightly.
On Saturday, downtown L.A., Long Beach, San Diego and other spots set new temperature records for the date.
Saturday's heat wave extended to Northern California, with San Francisco, Sacramento and other spots hitting new records for the day. But on Sunday, forecasters say temperatures will cool a bid in the north.
The heat is caused by a high-pressure system moving across the region, according to the National Weather Service.
Officials warned that the heat could strain the power grid and outages were possible. It also could pose health risks for those active and outdoors.
The heat brought summertime-size crowds to Los Angeles County beaches Saturday. They were about as packed as a typical Fourth of July weekend, with attendance probably above 1 million, lifeguards said.
"It's warm out, we're busy and we've been making rescues all day," A.J. Lester, ocean lifeguard specialist with the Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguard Division, said from the lifeguard tower at the Hermosa Beach pier. "It's pretty nuts down here."
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