On Clear, Mild Day: Visibility Accents Summer in Autumn

High temperatures and low humidity sent more than a million people scampering to beaches from Zuma to Newport on Sunday as hot Santa Ana winds gave Southern California a brief taste of summer in early autumn.

High temperature at the Los Angeles Civic Center reached 94 degrees, well short of the record 101 for the date set in 1971, with relative humidity ranging from 41% overnight to 14% in early afternoon, when lifeguards said they were seeing their first “really heavy crowds” in several weeks.

‘Clear As a Bell’

“Visibility was good, too,” said Los Angeles County lifeguard Tom Schmitt. “Clear as a bell--you could see from Point Dume to Palos Verdes, and Catalina looked like it was about half a mile away. Beautiful!”

Surf was moderate in most places--2 to 3 feet, with a maximum of 4 feet at Newport--and water temperatures ranged from the mid-60s in Santa Monica Bay to the low 70s at Cabrillo Beach.

The only problem reported was at Ventura Harbor, where a small craft advisory was issued shortly after noon for east winds rising to 25 knots.

But the National Weather Service said it can’t last.

Meteorologists said dry, northeast winds blowing from the deserts under the urging of a high-pressure area centered over Nevada will slack off overnight--and will disappear entirely today.

A weak low-pressure system aloft is expected to shift to a position off the Southern California coast today and Tuesday, which should cause the coastal layer of marine air to return--accompanied by overnight low clouds, and cooler daytime temperatures, with highs ranging from 77 to 85.

Forecasters even predicted a few thundershowers for mountain and desert areas this afternoon, with partly cloudy skies expected to stay around all day long.