From thunderstorms and light rain on Monday to a set of days in triple digits, this week has been all over the place weather wise. Today, it's much cooler and tomorrow it could be even more so with chances of rain, which of all days couldn't come at a worse time with the Eagle Rock Music Festival and LA Weekly's Detour Festival. Below are weather maps forecasts for today and Saturday.......

Photo by countess of maybe via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Today, our computer is not about to explode like it was for the past two days in the sweltering heat. "The National Weather Service forecast highs for Thursday of between 69 and 79 near the Los Angeles County coast, 86 to 94 inland, 84 to 94 in the San Fernando Valley, 87 to 92 in the San Gabriel Valley, 88 and 93 in......

One day of fall heat was bearable, but two days of heat and citizens just don't care anymore. Damnit, they're turning on the AC. From the DWP at 5:18 p.m. today: "Customers' energy use hit a new record today of 5,709 megawatts, shattering the previous record of 5,123 megawatts set Oct. 2, 1991. On Tuesday, energy use reached a peak demand of 5,533 megawatts, marking a record demand for fall and the fifth highest September......

Sciencedude says it could be a hot one again in Orange County, which only means the same pattern will hit LA County. "Orange County will experience a second straight day of unusually hot weather today, with temperatures reaching into the 90s or higher as high pressure lingers over the West Coast, the National Weather Service says. Inland areas will suffer the worst heat, with temperatures running 10-15 degrees above normal." The Valley is looking to......

As temperatures reached high temperatures today, the LA Department of Water & Power announced spiked energy usage by residents this afternoon and is urging energy conservation. "Any time energy demand exceeds 5000 megawatts we need to begin conserving wherever possible, while not jeopardizing anyone's health or safety," said David Nahai, LADWP General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, in a e-mail notice. The DWP expects demand to reach up to 5500 megawatts. Has anyone run over......

Los Angeles annual average temperatures from 1878 to 2008 "The bottom line is that we're definitely going to be living in a warmer Southern California," said Bill Patzert, a NASA Jet Propulsion Lab climatologist and oceanographer who co-authored a study that examined Los Angeles' daily temperature data for a hundred year period. What they found was that "the number of extreme heat days (above 90 degrees Fahrenheit in downtown LA) has increased sharply over......

Thunderstorms are predicted for the Southwest, but they will mostly develop over Arizona and parts of Utah. As for California, there is a very slight chance for thunderstorms in Southeastern California and Northern California (where dry lightening strikes caused over 1700 fires in the state since June 20). As for Los Angeles weather in the recent spate of hot weather predictions, Ken Clark, Expert Senior Meteorlgist with Accuweather.com says most of the reported extreme heat......

Photo by yunny via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr From 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., an excessive heat warning is in effect, according to the National Weather Service. And going along with the state's Flex (Your Power) Alert, the NWS has also issued an excessive heat watch through Thursday evening. How hot will it be? Triple digits are expected hit highs of 102 to 110 degrees in some areas. And with the statewide flex......

Time to hunker down and flex your power, so says state officials. "The California Independent System Operator (CAISO), charged with managing the electricity grid in California, has issued a Flex Alert for Tuesday, July 8th through Thursday, July 10th," an e-mail alert states. "Due to the current hot weather, electricity conservation is necessary."......

The National Weather Service is saying weather this holiday weekend "poses modest danger for fire," per the LA Times. But winds are expected to remain calm while humidity stays within critical ranges. Temperatures this weekend are forecasted to range from the mid-70s to the mid-80s to high 90s, depending if you are in a coastal area, in the city or in a valley, respectively.......

In 10 days, 30 homes have been lost among the 1,500 fires that have blazed through around 400,000 acres of land. "All my life I knew it might burn -- and it finally did," said a Big Sur resident who lost her home. "But when you live in a place like that, you have to take the consequences." If there ever was a warning not to do your own fireworks this week, this would be......

Photo by yunny via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr The recent heatwave was expected to transition to cooler temperatures beginning last Saturday, but there was no such luck, forcing weather forecasters to say today would be that day as the Valley would get a much needed marine layer (as of 8:30 a.m., skies are blue here in the Valley). If correct, instead of triple digits that became the norm the past four days, parts......

Southern California may be getting the extreme heat, but NorCal has it worse with fires -- over one hundred by the Associated Press' count.......

Face it, it's hot. And with some people, especially the elderly, living without AC in poorly insulated homes, cooling centers can literally be a lifesaver. Three cooling centers in the Valley will remain open tonight until 8:00 p.m. tonight and will be open tomorrow from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. There's also free water! The centers are located at parks in Canoga Park, Sunland and Northridge. [Via Mayor's Office Press Release]......

What the LA Department of Water & Power is saying today during the heatwave: "Yesterday's energy peak reached 5856 megawatts, and was the second highest load in June. Today's peak demand is expected to reach or exceed the record of 6165 megawatts, set on July 24, 2006. While the LADWP has enough power to meet the city's needs, extraordinary demand during prolonged hot temperatures puts a tremendous strain on the city's electrical distribution equipment. Customers......

Temperatures are expected to rise to 113 degrees in some parts of the San Fernando Valley today, according to the National Weather Service. Also, a regional red flag warning has been issued, but the Los Angeles Fire Department has yet to call a city red flag, which would affect parking in hillside neighborhoods.......

Photo by WTL photos via Flickr As temperatures easily reach over 100 in some parts of the region, it is affecting those who are vulnerable. An 90-year-old woman driving in San Bernardino County died when she stepped out of her car to search for her husband who left the car for unknown reasons. They were found 50 yards from their car and the 116 degree heat killed Virgil Sanders and the husband had 2nd......

Photo by cheesee via Flickr As Spring turns to Summer this weekend, the temperatures are expected to mark the season change with a bang starting today. The National Weather Service is predicting today's temperatures to range from 95 to 105 in region's valleys. Downtown is expected to be in the 90s and beaches should stay normal (upper 60s, low 70s). Friday is supposed to be the worst: 109 degrees on Friday in the Valley?......

"The energy demand we are seeing is unprecedented, and it's only May," said David Nahai, LADWP CEO & General Manager, in a statement today, which is the second one regarding the same issue in less than thirty days. "We urge our customers to start cutting back their energy use now and to be ready for continued hot temperatures as we enter the summer months... It's incumbent upon all L.A. residents and businesses to look at......

Now here's a lede that will make for more groans: "A fourth consecutive day of scorching temperatures is expected from the Central Coast to the Southern California desert, but forecasters say relief is near," reports USA Today via the Associated Press. "The National Weather Service says highs in the 90s and 100s will again be common Monday before temperatures start heading down toward normal on Tuesday." The predicted differences between Santa Monica and the Valley......

Photo by countess of maybe via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Records were broken yesterday around California and the hot weather is not looking to take a break this weekend. "The Valley is supposed to be a sweltering miasma of heat this weekend. Temperatures could hit triple digits," the Daily News reports in an interactive weather map for the Valley. But over the hill in the basin, temperatures are not as bad due to......

In a press release sent yesterday evening, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) stated that "peak energy demand reached a record-setting high last weekend and near-record on Monday, indicating the need for customers to reduce their electricity use." Megawatt usage over the weekend and on Monday broke records. Monday's demand was the second highest for a weekday in April while both Sunday and Saturday's power usage peaked at the highest ever for......

Photo by delara-photos via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr The trial of Juan Manuel Alvarez began today. Among his charges are 11 counts of murder for the January 2005 incident involving him parking his car on the tracks and causing a Metrolink train to derail. The stretch of San Diego beach closed to the public last week following a fatal shark attack has reopened. Swimmers are cautioned to keep close to the......

Photo by KeithJ via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Hot temperatures, low humidity, and brisk winds helped to whip up the flames yesterday in the foothills of Sierra Madre, as a fire that broke out mid-afternoon Saturday has now blazed through approximately 400 acres. The fire was first reported shortly before 2 p.m. close to Santa Anita Canyon Road, and caused some initial evacuations from the nearby recreation areas, including a Boy......

There's a primary afoot and, if reports from all over the country can be believed, voter turnout in every state has consistently exceeded expecations. That ought to come as no surprise, considering that we're still talking about it, instead of fending off the latest iteration of Swift boating. Ordinarily, by this point in the game the remaining primaries would be mere formalities, Kabuki performances held mainly to support the pretense that the people who bother......

"Who Watches The Watchers", by ~db~ via LAist Featured Photos Pool on Flickr. A year after the LAPD launched an offensive to rid Downtown of drugs and crime, the results are mixed. Violent crime is down and shoplifting is up, but some opponents of this broken windows campaign are deriding the heavy handed tactics they say police have used. But officials said, look at the results and, hey, it worked for Giuliani in NYC......

Clippers 99, Heat 98 - With Shaq in Phoenix and Dwayne Wade injured for the season, the Clippers had an opportunity to beat somebody -- and actually took it. Cuttino Mobley hit a pair of free throws in the final three seconds to seal the deal. He led the way with 29 points. Since the Clippers won't be lucky enough to face many more horrible teams like Miami, Andrew Kamenetzky atSportsHubLA has some ideas on......

This is the 'cute' part of Electrocute. They play at Spaceland tonight | Photo from their MySpace page On Friday we interviewed Jay Babcock of Arthur Magazine -- he books a series on Sunday nights at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica. More Eastwardly, Alex & Sam will play their second show of the Sunday residency spot at Tangier in Los Feliz (for all February residencies in LA, check out our guide). Last week......

We've never been to the Celebrity Center for a concert, but we can vouch for Cowboy (not Country!) musician Dave Stamey if you're into that kind of thang. Still, for those inclined to roots music, The Arthur Adams Band will be at the Baked Potato in Studio City playing blues. The Arthur Adams Band @ The Baked Potato Editors, Hot Hot Heat, Louis XIV @ The Wiltern Manic Hispanic, Death by Stereo, GG Elvis &......

The Wiggles Do The Humpty Dance. It's trippy! Digital Underground @ Viper Room Social Distortion @ House of Blues Sunset Reverend Horton Heat & Pato Banton @ House of Blues Anaheim Donovan Frankenreiter @ Canyon Club The Electric Prunes & Strawberry Alarm Clock @ Knitting Factory Mere Mortals & Seasons @ The Echo The Root Down @ Temple Bar The Germs & The Adolescents @ Key Club......