Lifeguards Bracing for Beach Crowds as Summer and Sun Arrive

Summer is here and weather forecasters say there’s going to be plenty of sunshine throughout the weekend to go with June’s usual night and morning low clouds.

Beach crowds are expected to increase, since more than 340,000 students have left school for summer vacation. Sean Green, a lifeguard at Mission Beach, said several seasonal lifeguards were put on duty last Friday to help man the city’s beaches through the summer.

“It has definitely picked up,” he said. “The sun’s out and so are the students. We expect a large crowd this weekend--just today from South Mission to Pacific Beach, we had about 15,000 people.”

The ocean temperature is on the rise and is expected to reach 65 degrees over the weekend.

National Weather Service forecaster Ray Robben said highs at the beaches will range from 65 to 70 degrees today and Saturday, increasing to 68 to 72 Sunday. Overnight lows will range from 58 to 62.

Inland highs will be between 75 and 85, with lows in the 55- to 60-degree range.

Mountains and deserts will have variable cloudiness with a slight chance of scattered showers tonight and Saturday. Highs in the mountains are expected to reach the upper 70s, with lows in the mid-50s. It will be hot in the desert, where highs will range from 105 to 115, cooling at night to 75 to 82.