Excessive heat worries some residents but it can also be a business benefit

Summer weather may be good for those who love the outdoors especially the beach, but it scares those who have lived through intense fires as the forecast now calls for excessive heat plus winds in the next few days. “I’m very frightened,” said Montecito resident Julie Maurer. “I already have our little satchels packed. I have my car pointing out with my gate open.” The hot winds are like a funnel of heat where she lives “we get the sundowner winds. The last time it was like a furnace when we opened the door. ” She follows the weather forecasts closely on TV and on the NewsChannel 3 social media pages. “With your streaming, and you’re always there at the right moment to get me information and it gives me ‘OK here’s where we are, here’s what I think is going to happen, OK were are OK for now or no we are not going back.'” Along Coast Village Road where businesses are trying to rebound from two disaster in eight months, the air conditioning at Scoop is a comfortable draw along with home made gelato and sorbet selections. Owner Ellie Patterson said she has added workers for the busy summer season and stays open late – often having customers up until closing on the warmer nights. It’s not uncommon to see a line there or other refreshing stops such as McConnell’s ice cream on State Street or Mission Street Ice Cream and Yogurt at De la Vina and Mission Streets. All seem to be benefiting with extra hours of customers showing up during these weather conditions. Marvio Belleza is visiting from Brazil. He was with his family on the beach near Stearns Wharf cooling off before looking for a waterfront area restaurant. “Certainly we are going to find a seafood restaurant to eat some crabs and lobster,” he said. The Santa Barbara waterfront stop was a day trip between Los Angeles and San Francisco for the family. He did not find it excessively hot and said back home it was much cooler right now. Many businesses that rent surfboards, paddleboards, kayaks, and bikes have been seeing increased weekday business to go with their already strong weekend business. Between the impressive summer weather pattern with less fog now and the celebration of Old Spanish Days next week, the local economy is expected to be on stable ground. Finding the perfect temperature for the region is difficult with a big sweep between the waterfront and the foothills often changing up to 10 or more degrees. At night the sundowner wind condition can kick it up another 10 degrees because of the compression of wind through the tight canyons heading from the mountains to the ocean.