COUNTYWIDE : People Flee to Beach as the Mercury Soars

Record-breaking temperatures in parts of Orange County sent tens of thousands of people to the beach on Sunday, while a dense layer of smog prompted health officials to urge those most affected to stay inside.

The mercury was pushed to 91 degrees in Santa Ana on Sunday, breaking a previous record temperature of 89 degrees set in 1957, said Steve Burback, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides weather information for The Times.

Burback said record temperatures were probably set in other parts of the county as well, but immediate information was not available. Temperatures “should start cooling off by a couple of degrees on Monday,” he said.

Anaheim reported the highest temperature in the county at 94 degrees, according to WeatherData.

To escape the weather, thousands of people flocked to the county’s beaches.

“This was the most crowded day we’ve had so far this year,” said Huntington Beach lifeguard Brent Peters, who estimated that more than 60,000 people showed up on that city’s beaches.

The hot weather was aggravated by a thick layer of smog, which prompted the South Coast Air Quality Management District to call a first-stage smog alert in North Orange County. A stage-one alert means that a potential health hazard exists.

A first-stage episode usually affects only smog-sensitive people with chronic lung or heart disease, the elderly, the chronically ill and youngsters who are exercising. A more advanced-stage smog alert indicates a possible hazard to everyone.