Heat Waves Goodbye, but Only for a Spell

It’s been so hot, Bill Hoffer swears he’s seen the hummingbirds on his patio crack a sweat.

OK, Bill.

Maybe the heat has gotten to you too.

But fear not, says the National Weather Service forecaster.

The oppressive heat wave that has seen Fillmore rival Palm Desert as the nation’s hot spot and sent scores of coastal dwellers and perhaps one weather forecaster into a tizzy is finally easing off.

Monday saw the start of a gradual, 5-degree cooling trend, including the return of the coast’s central air-conditioning system--the morning and late-night fog--that will bring temperatures down to more bearable levels throughout the rest of the week, Hoffer said.

“There will be some relief, mainly for the coastal folks, including myself,� Hoffer said.

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The county’s hot spots Monday were in Fillmore and Piru, where temperatures peaked at 92 degrees. Ojai topped out at 89, Simi Valley at 88, Moorpark at 87 and Thousand Oaks at 85.

Forecasters say temperatures will drop even further by midweek.

Patchy morning fog is expected to spread inland into the Conejo Valley on Wednesday and Thursday, and temperatures that have been hovering near the century mark in Ojai, Fillmore, Piru, Moorpark and Simi Valley will stay in the upper 80s and low 90s.

Along the coast, expect more typical temperatures in the mid-70s.

Meanwhile, smog levels violated state health standards only in Ojai and Simi Valley on Monday, an improvement over the day before when the poor air quality exceeded state thresholds everywhere but in Ventura and Oxnard.

However, Kent Field of the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District said the cooling trend will do little to clear out smog-choked inland skies.

“The air is still going to be real still and stagnant,� he said. “We’re keeping the pollutants around here.�

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In hot and smoggy Simi Valley, Glenn Suffern decided a trip to the creek at Rancho Simi Community Park was the best way to keep his daughter, Julia, happy Monday.

And by the look on her face, it was working. She seemed thrilled as she stooped in the water and emerged with fists full of cool, dark mud.

“We’re just kicking back,� Suffern said.

For Chris Persico, who came to the park with his son, Christopher John, and two bottles of lime Gatorade, the sticky southern air flows that have made these normally dry spots humid were nothing he couldn’t handle.

“Where I come from in Buffalo, New York, it’s always muggy like this,� he said. “I’m pretty used to the humidity. It’s not bad.�

Meantime, while others looked for shade, Steve Bernadino reveled in the sun, patiently working on his tan as he lay shirtless in green sweat shorts.

“I love it,� he said. “I thrive on this kind of weather.�

Good thing.

Forecasters predict the air to begin warming up again Friday, with temperatures along the coast in the upper 70s and low 80s, and inland temperatures again reaching near 100 degrees.