‘Looked Like . . . Summer’ : 93 Degrees Shatters County Heat Record

Sweltering temperatures Tuesday broke a 76-year-old record in Orange County, but the heat is expected to moderate today. Santa Ana’s 93 degrees recorded at 2 p.m. was the high for an April 2, breaking the previous county high of 88 set in 1909. It was the second day in a row of record heat. The all-time April high in the county is 101, recorded on April 15, 1966.

Newport Beach Police Sgt. Bob Harrison, anticipating the heat, left a telephone recording Tuesday morning for reporters making their routine checks.

Good Mood for All

“We have no press release to advise you of at this time,” Harrison’s recording said. “However, due to the unseasonably warm temperatures, we would anticipate a massive attack of spring fever, which should result in a fairly substantial increase of happy beach-goers at our local beaches . . . . With the beautiful weather, people will be in good moods and we won’t have any problems.”

Harrison was right; the Police Department had a relatively easy day without major incident.

Newport Beach, where beaches were packed, recorded a high of 81. It was even warmer at Huntington State Beach, where more than 30,000 basked in 85-degree heat.

“It was packed today,” said Sgt. Steven Hicks of the beach security force. “It really looked like a normal summer day.”

96 in Los Angeles

Downtown Los Angeles was even warmer Tuesday. The mercury reached 96 degrees at the Civic Center, breaking the previous record of 90 set in 1960.

National Weather Service forecasters, however, said the inland high-pressure area that was causing the dry Santa Ana winds began to weaken late Tuesday, which should result in lower temperatures today and the rest of the week as cooling ocean air returns.

The weather service said temperatures at the beaches today should range between 72 and 77 degrees, with highs of 84 to 88 inland.

The highs on Thursday should drop to the high 70s, forecasters said.