Friday, July 12, 2002 | 11:17 a.m.
SUN STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
REDDING, Calif. -- With temperatures climbing to 112 degrees, some say there's really only one recipe for beating the heat: good old-fashioned ice cream.
"Believe me, we're going to have our ice cream after this," said Lorry Parz, gathering with a group of friends she sees every Thursday. "It's never too hot for ice cream."
Frozen treats notwithstanding, the intense heat that's settled over the West this week has created problems that aren't easily solved, from the risk of thunderstorm-sparked wildfires to the heavy burden on the power supplies in Nevada, California and Utah.
Nevada Power Co. broke records for all-time electricity demanded for two days in a row, spokesman Edgar Patino said.
Tuesday a new peak record of 4,488 megawatts was topped on Wednesday by 4,501 megawatts drawn, Patino said. The previous peak demand, based on growth and hot temperatures, was set o July 2, 2001, at 4,412 megawatts.
Although the clouds piled high in Southern Nevada's skies, not a drop of rain fell in the Las Vegas Valley.
The combination of early sunshine and cloud cover sent the temperature to 106 degrees Thursday. That's considered normal for this time of year.
A new record was set, however, for the highest low temperature for Wednesday because of rising humidity, National Weather Service meteorologist Barry Pierce said.
On Wednesday the recorded low was 89 degrees. The previous highest low temperature for July 10 was 83 degrees set in 1995.
The record highest low for July 11 was 86 degrees in 1973.
The all-time highest low in Las Vegas kept the mercury at 91 degrees on July 8, 1989, Pierce said.
The daytime temperatures should soar to near 109 degrees for the next few days, with nights in the mid to lower 80s, Pierce said. Thunderstorms are expected in the mountains, although there's a better chance for rain in the valley Tuesday or Wednesday, he said.
In other Western states, residents weren't as used to the high temperatures.
"It's hotter than Satan's sauna, which is about 6 billion degrees. There is no excuse for this heat," Angela Cecala said at a park in Salt Lake City, where the temperature reached 101 degrees Thursday.
While some who live near coastal areas got a bit of a break Thursday, forecasters said triple-digit temperatures were expected to stick around in many inland areas at least through the weekend.
It reached 109 in Bakersfield, about 400 miles away from Redding. The mercury hit an all-time record of 108 for the second straight day in Reno, and rose to 109 in Boise, Idaho.
The extreme heat has inspired some creative tactics for staying cool.
Ranchers in central California's San Joaquin Valley sprayed dairy cows with sprinklers to cool them off, while Salt Lake City zoo officials planned to give sweltering animals icy treats this weekend.
"We give 300-pound ice blocks to the polar bears. The apes get blocks with fruit and veggies frozen in them," zoo spokeswoman Stacey Phillips said. "The cats get blocks tinged with blood, from the meat. We like to call them bloodsicles -- it's like a Popsicle for a cat."
Officials in California and Utah urged residents to conserve electricity to avoid shortages. Federal regulators also raised the price cap for wholesale electricity in the West.
"A low energy price cap could cause severe supply disruptions," the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said.
The commission boosted the maximum price from $55.26 per megawatt hour to $91.87. One megawatt is enough to power about 750 homes.
The higher cap followed two days during which California power authorities warned that soaring temperatures and power plant breakdowns were thinning energy supplies.
Meanwhile, "red flag" fire warnings -- issued when the humidity drops or lightning poses significant danger -- were posted from just north of Los Angeles all the way to Portland, Ore. The monsoon season is expected to bring much-needed rain to the fire-stricken Southwest soon, but there's also a risk of "dry" storms that produce lightning but no rain.
"Forest vegetation is very dry and firefighters and equipment are stretched thin throughout the West," Tahoe National Forest Supervisor Steve Eubanks said as Nevada issued strict new campfire guidelines.
The heat has also created dangerous levels of smog in some areas, triggering advisories that people with respiratory conditions should stay indoors and healthy people should limit outdoor activity.
Redding reached 115 on Wednesday, shattering the city's all-time record of 110 set in 1905. As the mercury climbed again Thursday, customers crowded into a pool supply store.
Maintenance man Ted Ableman was buying a hose for the broken pool at a nearby lodge.
"Man, are they complaining," he said of the guests. "They'll be happy now."
archive
