The Summer of Their Discontent Is Made More Glorious by the Sun . . . but Just a Little

If Thursday felt warmer than usual, meteorologists said, it was--for the summer of 1991.

But compared to previous summers, the day was pretty typical, one weather watcher said, and the near-90-degree temperatures that were expected in parts of Orange County never materialized.

And while temperatures eventually crept upward, reaching 86 degrees in Anaheim and 82 in Santa Ana by midafternoon, the lingering cloud cover--particularly along the beaches--started the day on the cool side.

“Compared to recent weather of the last few months, it seemed pretty warm to some people,” said meteorologist Marty McKewon of WeatherData, which does weather forecasting for The Times. While temperatures were slightly higher in some areas of Orange County, he added, the humidity had not changed in recent days.

“The low clouds and fog are a normal part of Southern California. But for them to persist every day for two months is somewhat unusual,” he said. “When the sun spends four hours burning (the clouds) off, it wastes a lot of energy.”

In fact, one would have to turn the calendar back to this spring, May 6, to find the last time the temperature in Orange County hit the 90s, McKewon said.

Newport Beach Marine Safety Lt. John Blauer looked at the late-morning clouds and wished he could turn the calendar back a year.

“This summer is terrible compared to last summer,” he lamented. “Last summer happened to be probably the best we had in the last six or seven years, and this summer we are at the opposite end of the totem pole.”

Both Wednesday and Thursday, the temperature in Newport Beach reached a high of 67 degrees.

Blauer said that because there have been fewer hours of warm sunshine on the beach, some part-time employees are getting ready to return to school without having enjoyed a typical Southern California summer.

“Some of them are leaving at the end of this week,” Blauer said, “and for them, the summer is over.”

Meteorologists said the weather is not expected to change any time soon.

Weekend temperatures should be about the same, McKewon said, “maybe just a couple of degrees warmer.”

He said today’s morning clouds should burn off in the inland areas by midmorning, and around noon on the coast.