An extreme heat warning was issued for Santa Barbara County this week, with temperatures reaching as high as 102 degrees on Wednesday.
The temperature is expected to range between 88 to 108 degrees on the Central and South Coast, according to the National Weather Service.
Yaretsi Herrera and her 5-month-old daughter Mila were staying cool under a shaded spot next to East Beach on Wednesday.
Herrera said she used spray bottles filled with water to relieve Mila of the heat. Herrera recommended “lots of water play” for mothers with children during this heat, and said that eating fruit such as watermelon has helped them stay cool and hydrated.
“I hate heat waves,” she said.
Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, told the News-Press that temperatures had reached triple digits about a mile away from the beach in Santa Barbara.
While downtown Santa Barbara reached 102 degrees Fahrenheit, Kittell said places like the Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens closer to the hills of the city reached 105 degrees Fahrenheit on Wednesday.
Julia Dyer is a yoga instructor working in Santa Barbara who was enjoying the cool grass along East Beach with her family.
She lives in an upstairs apartment in Santa Barbara with her boyfriend.
Dyer said in order to stay cool she and her boyfriend will lay down and use a box fan and spray bottle to produce a misty breeze to relieve them of the heat.
According to the National Weather Service, humid conditions will last from Wednesday through 8 p.m on Thursday.
Southern California Edison, an electric company that serves 8,312 customers in Santa Barbara County, considered shutting off power due to an increase in wildfire risk from the extreme heat.
The Residence Inn in Goleta has been designated a Community Resource Center for people to have power during the potential shutoff until Thursday night.
The county advised people to go to malls, movie theaters, parks and beaches to cool off during the heat wave, according to the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Services.
People with disabilities can contact county ride-share programs for transportation to places to cool off.
The programs available to the county include Easy Lift Transportation in Santa Barbara, Smooth Inc. in Santa Maria, Santa Ynez Valley Transit Dial-A-Ride and COLT RIDE On-Demand in Lompoc.
