UCLA students have tried to keep cool amid a blazing heat wave in Los Angeles.

Southern California experienced extreme temperatures for nearly a full week after a heat wave arrived in Los Angeles last Tuesday. Temperatures reached up to 115 degrees in some areas of Los Angeles with a height of 100 degrees in Westwood last Friday, according to AccuWeather.

The heat wave lasted five days and took most students by surprise, despite the City of Los Angeles issuing an excessive heat warning for the greater part of LA County last Tuesday.

“I didn’t even know it was gonna happen,” said Justin Mallon, a UCLA Extension student and Florida native. “This heat wave… it’s definitely reminding me of that Florida heat.”

Janine Ann Baijnath-Rodino, a professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, said in a written statement that weak onshore winds over the Pacific Ocean reduced the effects of the usually cool ocean breeze.

“As air temperature continues to rise, these heat waves can become more intense,” she said in the written statement.

The prolonged, intense heat prompted Bruins to look for ways to cool off.

Hanna Boughanem, a rising third-year human biology and society student, said she took to the beach to escape the scorching heat. She added that the ocean’s cold water helped her deal with the hot conditions.

Mallon also hit the beach with the hope of beating the heat.

“Especially going into the ocean as hot as it was, going in there – it really cooled you down,” he said.

Though the beach provided a place to cool off for a few hours, some students had to endure the heat without air-conditioning in Westwood for the majority of the heatwave. Mallon said his apartment on Landfair Avenue lacked air conditioning, adding that the extreme heat heavily affected his ability to concentrate and complete schoolwork.

“Even at night, it was blazing,” Mallon said. “It was super hard to go to sleep sometimes, too.”

Other students shared similar experiences of losing sleep due to the heat. Jordan Juneja, a rising first-year business economics student, lives in Hedrick Hall – another building without air conditioning.

“I’ve been sweating all day. I’ve been feeling super dehydrated,” he said. “I need to sleep. I haven’t slept all night.”

Juneja also said that he is wearing shorts and fewer layers with the hope that he will cool down.

Additionally, students experienced issues getting around Westwood due to the heat, Boughanem said.

“I have to walk everywhere. I don’t have a car – it’s so draining,” Boughanem said. “Normally, I like walking, but it’s been something I don’t look forward to anymore.”

California experienced its hottest summer on record this year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with temperatures reaching their highest points in 130 years. Sacramento experienced its hottest summer in history with temperatures averaging above 80 degrees for the months of June, July and August, according to the NOAA.

Though the heat posed many problems with hydration, sleep and transportation, many students said they would make plans to prepare for when the next heat wave eventually arrives in Los Angeles.

“I might get a better fan because the one I have right now is so small,” Mallon said. “I need one of those tall boys.”