SAN DIEGO — With a heat wave ramping up across San Diego County and rising temperatures from the coast to the inland valleys, CBS 8 sent our Brian White out to Borrego Springs, where this heat wave is hitting the hardest.
“We were in Death Valley, and it was 118 and we thought that was hot,” said Dan Williams, a vacationer from the U.K. “We thought it’d be cooler here, but it isn’t.”
While CBS 8’s Brian White was in Borrego Springs, temperatures reached 113 degrees.
“You’re out in the sun for like, five seconds and you feel like you’re going to melt,” said Pat Brown.
“It’s hitting us really hard,” said Art Arganda, who has lived in Borrego for ten years and has a special place he likes to go to escape the heat.
“I go to the bar, or I go home, turn my air conditioning on and watch TV,” said Arganda.
CBS 8 stopped into Carlee’s Bar & Grill, where the fans were working overtime to keep customers cool.
“Lots of hydration, a lot of liquids,” said Dan Pugh.
Is 113 degrees considered hot in Borrego? For visitors, yes.
“It’s hotter than I’m used to, that’s for sure,” said Tom Bradford, visiting from Utah.
But some of the locals say these temperatures aren’t enough to phase them.
"Well, I live here year-round so I’m kind of used to it. It’s great,” said Joy Heckendorf. “I don’t mind it at all, but I have a big swimming pool and I use it in the evening.”
Brian White asked, “So that’s the key, having a swimming pool?”
Heckendorf replied, “Yea, having a swimming pool and a really good air conditioner and a good attitude.”
But even locals like Micki Alfont have their limits.
“Anything above 115. It’s gotten over 120, that starts to get toasty, but right now, it’s still nice,” said Alfont.
Brian White asked, “So you’re ok with 112, but not 115?”
Alfont replied, “Mmm. I’ll go as high as 120. That’s it, right there.”
While some folks were cooling off inside, Max Hernandez was out in the hot sun busy with landscaping work for his family-run business, All in 1 Tree Care.
“This is some of the stuff that we got today from the trimming work we did today,” said Hernandez, while pointing to bags full of tree branches in the back of their company truck.
Hernandez and his crew started early at 5 a.m. and finished up around noon, so they could be done working before the hottest hours of the day.
“It is very hard, I mean, nobody wants to work in the heat and we’re short-staffed,” said Hernandez. “We got to make it happen one way or another.”
High temperatures are expected to remain over 100 degrees in Borrego Springs through next week with the possibility of highs dipping down into the 90’s by Friday, September 9.
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