Los Angeles Heat Wave

There might some excuse for strange behavior in Los Angeles today: Temperatures in downtown hit a record 113 degrees, beating out the old all-time high of 112 in 1990. Stuart Seeto of the National Weather Service said the record was especially notable after such a cool summer. A few small fires were recorded, and California consumers were expected to use more than 45,000 megawatts by the peak afternoon hours—but no serious problems were predicted by Cal-ISO, which coordinates power for large portions of the state. Local school districts also canceled all outdoor activities for the afternoon.