Super Bowl Proves a Hot Item, Too : Temperature of 79 Ties ’46 Record

A high temperature of 79 degrees tied the record at Lindbergh Field on Sunday, but Super Bowl XX proved stiff competition for the Santa Anna sunshine as beach crowds were down slightly from Saturday, lifeguards said.

The 79-degree reading tied the recond set in 1946 for Jan. 26, while temperatures inland reached into the 80s Sunday afternoon. Poway had the county’s high with 87 degrees, La Mesa followed closely with 86 and Fallbrook, Spring Valley and Vista were third with highs of 85.

Coastal regions recorded highs in the 70s and humidity downtown dropped to 11% at 2 p.m. Sunday under the weak Santa Ana condition that generated unseasonal weather throughout the weekend.

Some tropical clouds moved into the county Sunday to mask the sunshine slightly but the temperature continued to rise. Sunday’s high followed a 76 at the downtown airport Saturday--a temperature short of the record but more than 10 degrees above normal.

According to the National Weather Service, a cooling trend is expected today as the Santa Ana dies and breezes from the ocean return.

The high surf that prompted a small craft advisory Friday and Saturday and enticed surfers to the shore began dropping Saturday. Waves reached at least eight feet in Ocean Beach on Friday, forecasters said, and temporarily forced the closing of the Ocean Beach Pier.

By Saturday waves had begun to shrink and on Sunday lifeguards reported an average one- to four-foot surf.

Although lifeguards reported “pretty decent crowds up and down the coast,” with parking lots full, they said the number of visitors to the beach had diminished since Saturday.

“Everyone bailed come game time--there were more people out in the morning,” said state lifeguard Mike Silvestri. He added that the drop in surf might also have contributed to the smaller crowds.

City lifeguard Tom Thayer said surfers were out for Sunday morning’s high tide, but the crowds had dropped one-third since Saturday. “Everybody was watching football,” he said.

Variable high clouds that moved in Sunday are expected to continue today with increased humidity and slight cooling, forecasters said.

Temperatures are expected to reach near normal by Tuesday but will be a few degrees above average today.

Highs at the beach are expected to be in the 60s, and coastal strip temperatures in the 71- to 76-degree range today will drop to the 67- to 72-degree range Tuesday. Nighttime lows should be between 46 and 51 degrees.

Inland valley highs in the low 80s today are expected to be in the 70s Tuesday with lows in the 36- to 46-degree range.

Mountain highs are expected up to 62 with lows in the 30s and desert highs up to 84 degrees may dip to 38 at night.