L.A. Public Pools To Reopen Just In Time For Soaring Temperatures This Week

Just in time for the rising temperatures expected this week, some City of Los Angeles public pools will open for recreational swimming starting on Monday.

Last summer, the Department of Recreation and Parks closed public pools due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A select number of public pools will be open this week from 2 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Extended summer hours begin on Monday, June 21.

Aquatic team sports, junior lifeguard, and swim lesson registration will open on Saturday, June 19 beginning at 9 a.m. at swimla.org and in-person.

The reopenings will be a welcome relief as the region braces for a heat wave that is expected to bring high temperatures all week. The valleys and mountains around L.A. and Ventura counties could see temperatures above 100, with the Antelope Valley expected to hit 112 degrees this week. Inland Orange County could reach 100 degrees.

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"It's gonna get really toasty out there," National Weather Service meteorologist Dan Gregoria said, adding that the forecast calls for the peak of the heat wave to hit on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Gregoria said desert areas could be even hotter and are expected to hit temperatures well above normal. Palm Springs, which has an average high of 103 this time of year, is forecast to hit 119 degrees this week.

Weather forecasters are warning residents to drink plenty of water and stay out of the sun if possible, and Southern California Edison is warning customers about the potential for a strained power grid as Angelenos crank up their air conditioners.

"Just like roadways or your internet bandwidth, when you just have more traffic of electrons going through our grid, it's going to constrain our grid," said SoCal Edison spokesman David Song. "It'll put stress on our grid and there could be points of failure."

Song advises keeping your thermostat set to 78 degrees and turning on your air conditioner earlier in the day to cool your home. The hours of 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. is when demand is highest conservation is most needed, he said.