Mercury’s Up, Beach Rush Is On

The biggest crowds so far this year hit Orange County beaches Thursday, drawn by clear skies and summery sunshine.

More of the same is expected today, weather forecasters said, but the weekend will be marked by more clouds, cooler temperatures and rising winds.

Orange County’s highest temperature Thursday was 88 in El Toro. Other inland highs were 86 in Santa Ana and 80 in San Juan Capistrano. Along the shore, a more pleasant high of 72 was felt at Newport Beach.

Balmy weather Thursday drew about 50,000 people to the beaches of Newport. It was the community’s largest weekday beach crowd so far this year, said lifeguard Jack Lincke.

‘Summer Weekday in Winter’

“Everybody worked on their suntans,” said Bolsa Chica State Beach lifeguard John Brueggeman. About 5,000 people crowded onto the strand there. “It was like a summer weekday in winter.”

At Huntington City Beach 25,000 people lolled on the sand, taking advantage of 75-degree temperatures, lifeguard Steve Davidson said. The water temperature was 59 degrees.

At neighboring Huntington State Beach, the crowd was 5,000, lifeguard Ron Schafer said. Another 1,500 showed up at Doheny State Beach.

County lifeguards have begun to prepare for the Easter break that begins Saturday and lasts through Easter Sunday, April 19, for many high school and college students. At Laguna Beach, where lifeguard Jeff Gilbert said 3,000 worked on their tans Thursday, lifeguard towers were put in place this week.

During spring break at Seal Beach, the number of lifeguards on duty daily will increase from three to 13, lifeguard Dan Dorsey said.

“The crowd (of 5,000) that came down today presumably didn’t have work or school obligations,” Dorsey said. “So when Easter hits, the metropolitan populations are going to hit the beach. We’re going to be hit pretty hard.”

San Clemente also is putting up its towers because Easter crowds much larger than Thursday’s 10,000 are expected, lifeguard Richard Chew said.

The summery weather will veer back toward reality as the weekend arrives, however, with a dry, Pacific cold front sweeping over California tonight and Saturday. The National Weather Service forecasts that low clouds and fog will increase near ocean beaches tonight and extend into the coastal valleys Saturday morning.

Then strong northwest winds in the wake of the front will blow toward the Mexican border, cooling temperatures as much as 15 degrees by afternoon.

In Orange County this morning, patchy low clouds and fog were expected along the shoreline, with hazy sunshine later in the day. Highs in the upper 60s to mid-70s near the beaches and upper 70s to mid-80s inland are forecast.

Forecasters predict considerable low cloudiness tonight and Saturday morning, with mostly sunny, breezy and cooler afternoons. Lows are expected to be in the 50s.

The extended forecast for Sunday through Tuesday calls for highs in the mid-70s and lows near 50 at the beaches. Inland highs will be in the 70s and lows will be in the mid-40s.

Surf was expected to run three to four feet in most places through the weekend with a westerly swell and water temperature around 59 degrees by mid-afternoon.

West to southwest winds rising to 14 knots and seas in the two- to three-foot range were expected in the inner coastal waters from Point Conception to the Mexican border. Outer waters may be a bit wilder, with northwest winds to 20 knots at times and 3-foot seas.

The forecast for Southern California mountain resorts is for mostly sunny days with afternoon temperatures in the mid-70s and overnight lows near freezing, with west to northwest winds rising to 30 m.p.h. at times.

The Sierra was expecting showers north of Lake Tahoe, with the snow level at about 6,000 feet.

Fair skies were expected in the upper and lower deserts with west to southwest winds hitting 25 m.p.h. in some places.

Forecasters said northern desert afternoons should be in the 70s through the weekend, while southern deserts should have afternoon readings in the 80s and 90s.

Times staff writer Ted Thackrey Jr. contributed to this story.