Weather

Temperatures soared to record highs Saturday in areas of greater Los Angeles, according to the National Weather Service. At the Santa Monica Pier, the temperature hit 86 degrees, eclipsing the record of 78 recorded in 1992. At UCLA, it reached 85 degrees, edging past the record of 80 set in 1992. In Long Beach, the heat reached 84 degrees, tying a 1967 record. Forecasters predict a 40% chance of rain Sunday night and Monday. -- Christopher Goffard

A strong, cold area of low pressure from the Gulf of Alaska was expected to drop into the region overnight and throughout today. The potent storm was expected to bring much colder temperatures, periods of rain, isolated thunderstorms and the potential for damaging winds. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch effective today for the mountains of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Wind gusts of more than 60 mph could combine with snow and fog to make driving treacherous.

With a forecast of near-perfect weather at Cape Canaveral, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope scientists and managers awaited today's planned launch of the shuttle Atlantis on the final trip to repair the orbiting observatory. Meteorologists put the odds of good weather at 90%, about as good as it gets. A slight chance of rain is expected at the emergency landing site in Spain.

Four people killed when their helicopter crashed on a highway were returning from an event where they had given helicopter rides to raise money for troubled youth, authorities said. One victim, Niall R.Y. Booth, 43, told his son that he was waiting to fly back because of foul weather. Visibility was somewhat hampered by fog, and storms had passed through earlier. But investigators could not say if weather was a factor, said Kitty Higgins, a National Transportation Safety Board member.

If Kurt Rambis' goal is to become an NBA head coach, why take a job with a CBA franchise? The Minnesota Timberwolves are nothing but a Midwest version of the Clippers -- with worse weather. Erik Schuman Fountain Valley

Fire weather will continue in Southern California's mountain and foothill areas through tonight, forecasters said, as dry and hot conditions persist for the rest of the weekend. The National Weather Service extended its red-flag warning through tonight for mountain and foothill areas in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The warning, which alerts fire departments to critical fire conditions, had been expected to expire Saturday night. High pressure over Southern California brought another day of heat Saturday for inland areas, with temperatures up to 90 degrees in downtown Los Angeles, 100 in Pasadena, 105 in Northridge, 106 in Chino and 110 in Rialto.

San Fernando Valley residents can expect a break from the recent rains this week, but how long it will last was uncertain. "It's just a lull between the storms," said Bruce Rockwell, a spokesman for the National Weather Service in Oxnard. "There's quite a lot of moisture out there." Showers expected this morning should lift later in the day. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are expected to be dry with some low clouds along the coast. But forecasters were unsure about what might happen Friday.

Corn and wheat prices soared anew Wednesday on weather worries about this year's vital U.S. crops, prompting rallies in other grain and oil-seed markets and pushing commodity price indexes to fresh eight-year highs. "No one is selling, it's just a powerful market," said Ron Kucha, a grain trader at O'Connor and Co. The continuing grain bull market helped push the Knight Ridder-Commodity Research Bureau's index of 17 key commodity futures up 3.09 points, or 1.2%, to an eight-year high of 258.