Nature Takes Spring Fever to an Extreme

Mother Nature’s going schizo.

Temperatures seesawed up into the 90s in the San Fernando Valley on Tuesday, only a week after a chilly, rainy spell. The newfound sunshine is expected to mellow into partly cloudy skies this weekend.

Or maybe not.

“Computer simulations get flaky this time of year,” said Vladimir Ryshko, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “One says dry and clear, and the other rain, with others somewhere in between. It’s a spring transition.”

Temperatures soared around Southern California. Death Valley hit triple digits at 102, the hottest temperature in the nation. It was 95 in Chatsworth and 94 in Pasadena, while Van Nuys and Burbank both toasted at 93 degrees. At the Civic Center it was 90.

School administrators worried that the warmth was a hint of scorching temperatures to come. Contractors were busy installing air conditioning Tuesday afternoon at Sutter Middle School in Winnetka.

During lunch, students chattered around the construction work, which was funded from the proceeds of Proposition BB bond sales and which temporarily tore up a walkway. But the air conditioning won’t be available until July. For now, teachers make do with large fans spaced around the rooms.

“The heat can be brutal--hot and stuffy and impossible to handle,” said Assistant Principal Marian Reimann.

Other Los Angeles residents, battered for months by winter storms, were delighted by the change. Many took advantage of the warm weather Tuesday, as sunshine spread like a smile over Southern California.

“I’m heading for the beach, getting ready to lay out,” said Tim Vegtel, 24, of Northridge, a Cal Arts student making his second trip to the beach in two days.

Margie Tyrrel, 50, a postal worker, stood in the sun outside an ice cream stand in Reseda, relaxing in the aftermath of last week’s federal tax mailing crush. “It’s beautiful--I’m enjoying it,” she said, planning to spend the day planting corn and other crops in her garden.

Other residents wished that the temperature swings were not so dramatic, inflaming allergies and making winter wardrobes obsolete.

“The sunshine’s great, but it’s so drastic,” said Heather Baldi, 20, of Los Angeles, who was incongruously clad in a sweater and denim overalls outside the ice cream stand.

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Many business owners were thankful for a reprieve from the rains, which kept people indoors. Over the weekend, stir-crazy customers flocked to the Cold Stone Creamery, an ice cream parlor in Sherman Oaks, which served a year-to-date record 477 customers Saturday.

“People were housebound. They were anxious to get out,” said Sheila Goldman, the owner, who said cold weather had cut business 50% this winter. “Warm weather makes a huge difference,” she said, adding that she hoped to do as well Tuesday.

Companies that play to winter and summer extremes fared better, profiting from the fluctuations.

“El Nino helped us out, and we’re expecting a long, hot summer,” said Bob Wiseman, general manager of Canoga Park Heating & Air Conditioning, where business was up 10% this winter. He said he tracks temperatures closely: “I’m a Weather Channel freak.”

A Woodland Hills sports store manager said he has in stock both colorful beach wear and warm ski gear.

“We’re starting shifting gears, cranking up for summer. But people are still skiing,” said Kenny Hintz, manager at Sports LTD.

A ridge of high-pressure air is holding back the cold and rain of the past few weeks, according to Weather Data, which provides weather forecasts to The Times, and more sunshine is expected today.

A Pacific storm may arrive this weekend, forecasters said, bringing cloudy skies and lower temperatures.