Crowds Warm to Cool-Water Attractions

It was the hottest Aug. 19 on record Tuesday, but you couldn’t have proven it by 12-year-old Tina Tran, whose lips were turning blue as she shuddered under a tree.

“It’s wet,” she complained. “The wind is blowing, and I’m cold.”

Tina, an Irvine resident, had good reason not to be bothered by Tuesday’s soaring temperatures, which hit 100 in Anaheim, surpassing the Aug. 19, 1940, Orange County record by two degrees.

She and about 4,000 other men, women and children in search of relief splashed and waded in the pools and water slides of Wild Rivers, a water park on the grounds of Lion Country Safari in Irvine.

Temperatures in Santa Ana peaked at 96, sending thousands to the water park and the beaches and anywhere else cooler air and water could be found.

Clyde Panis, a lifeguard supervisor, said about 20,000 beachgoers crowded onto the sand at Huntington Beach, an average crowd for a summer weekday. The high temperature there was 78 degrees. The water temperature was 59.

“It’s actually pretty cool down here,” Panis said. “I’m surprised there aren’t more people down here.”

In San Clemente, about 10,000 sun lovers swarmed over the sands--a larger-than-normal crowd for a Tuesday, said lifeguard supervisor Bill Humphreys. The reason: “It’s beautiful . . . and a calm surf of one to three feet and 79 degrees and the water is 68 degrees.”

Back at Wild Rivers, this week’s soaring temperatures were just the excuse many had been looking for.

“It’s about time it warmed up,” said Margie Ward of Mission Viejo, who described herself as over 21 and living proof that the water park isn’t all kids’ play. “I work seven days a week, and I need someplace I can just take off and take a dip. You can’t beat it.

“I wouldn’t go to the beach. I don’t like the weather at the beach. It takes too long to get there, and parking’s a problem.”

The aquatic park, which opened July 4, has seen larger and larger crowds as the weather has warmed, according to Steve Luckenbach, director of marketing.

“This is the hottest we’ve had all season,” Luckenbach said. “The first two days of this week we’re starting to see crowd levels equal to weekends. The temperature sure is a persuading factor.”

16 Degrees Hotter

Tuesday’s 100 degrees was a whopping 16 degrees hotter than the same date last year.

The National Weather Service on Tuesday predicted fair and continued unseasonably warm weather for Southern California coastal areas through Thursday with slightly cooler temperatures and increasing haze near the beaches.

The forecast for Los Angeles and vicinity is for highs in the 90s and lows of 68 to 72. Beaches will have overnight lows of 65 to 72 with highs Wednesday of 74 to 82 and highs Thursday of 70 to 77. Inland valleys can expect temperatures from 100 to 106.

The record temperatures prompted the National Weather Service to remind Southern Californians that a prolonged hot spell can have deteriorating effects on health. Anyone working or spending a great deal of time outdoors this week should take extra precautions to prevent possible sunstroke, heat cramps and heat exhaustion, a spokesman said.

Tips on Avoiding Sunstroke

The Weather Service suggested that during the heat wave people should reduce physical stress, dress lightly, drink plenty of water, avoid too much sun and reduce the time spent in unshaded areas.

According to the weather service, a strong upper-level high pressure system over Arizona triggered the heat wave, and no relief is seen for today. The latest upper-air forecasts suggest slight cooling beginning at the beaches on Wednesday or Thursday. But little if any cooling is expected in the Los Angeles Basin and coastal valleys.

The extended forecast for Southern California coastal areas calls for night and morning low clouds Friday through Sunday, otherwise, fair with sunny, hazy days. The beaches will have highs in the upper 60s to upper 70s, and overnight lows will be in the upper 50s to mid-60s.