Heat wave breaks in Southern California with spotty rain
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Southern Californians welcomed cooler temperatures and spotty rain Saturday from a tropical storm veering off the Pacific Coast days after a relentless heat wave nearly overwhelmed the state's electrical grid.
Officials braced for flooding in coastal and mountain areas from the storm and feared powerful winds could expand the massive Fairview Fire about 75 miles (121 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles. But minimal flooding was reported early Saturday and crews made significant progress on the fire and said they expected full containment on Monday. More than 10,000 homes and other structures have been threatened by the blaze.
The National Weather Service forecast an end to the grueling heat wave in the Los Angeles area Saturday though heat and wind advisories remained in effect through the evening, and warned of possible flooding in mountain areas and some beach communities.
In San Diego County, inland areas such as Mt. Laguna and Julian received several inches of rain from the storm while coastal communities got less than an inch, the National Weather Service reported.
Hurricane Kay made landfall near Mexico’s Bahia Asuncion in Baja California Sur state Thursday, but it quickly weakened into a tropical storm by the time it reached Southern California. The tropical conditions added a swelter to the heat wave that saw temperatures soar past 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) in many parts of California this week.
Some residents welcomed the respite from unusually high temperatures.
“The heat was killer, so for now this feels good,” Charles Jenkins said as rain fell Friday in San Diego.
With flooding possible, officials in coastal cities posted warning signs in low-lying areas and made sandbags available to the public. In the Orange County...