No Need for Yule Fires on Holiday This Year

There was little that suggested Christmas Eve along the Newport Pier Sunday: Fishermen vied for space with tourists in short sleeves, an exotic bird trainer showed off his tropical creatures and a Costa Mesa man got down on one knee to pop the question to his girlfriend.

But if Christmas was hardly in the balmy air, no one was complaining. “It’s a beautiful day,” said Lillian Lewis, who was working the counter at Henry’s Grocery on the waterfront. “The kind of day you like any time of year.”

As she spoke, beach-goers wandered into the store in shorts and bathing suits, looking decidedly unwintry. In fact, it was an afternoon during which most county cities were flirting with Christmas Eve heat records.

Propelled by a mild Santa Ana condition and a high-altitude high-pressure system, temperatures soared into the high 70s and low 80s Sunday, and forecasters predicted a repeat performance today.

The Christmas Day record high for Santa Ana is 82 degrees. Forecasters said that mark could well tumble today. Clear skies and highs in the mid-70s to mid-80s were predicted throughout the Los Angeles basin for today.

“Compared to most of the country, your weather is looking pretty nice, all right,” said Bill Hibbert, a meteorologist with WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times. The Wichita WeatherData office itself, in fact, was celebrating a break in some below-zero weather.

Freezing and below-zero temperatures were far from the minds of most Orange County residents, however. Those who managed to be away from the malls found beautiful weather wherever they went.

Area parks reported seeing lots of visitors, and Disneyland entertained thousands. Scores of bargain hunters swept through the Orange County Fairgrounds for the swap meet. More than 300 golfers hit the links of the Birch Hills Golf Course in Brea.