Summer’s Off to Hot, Late Start

Just when legions of sun-worshipers gave in to their disappointment at being robbed of a Real Summer, the high temperatures have moved in. So what if the calendar says Halloween’s only two weeks away?

Thermometers around Orange County pushed beyond 90 degrees in some spots Sunday, with near-perfect beach temperatures in the 70s. And the unseasonably warm, clear weather is expected to last through Tuesday.

Stephanie Hunter, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times, said the low-pressure system which brought coastal fog and scattered thundershowers on Friday and Saturday has moved off into the Pacific.

A high-pressure system building over the western United States will increase the warmer, offshore air flow, creating the likelihood of hot, clear days today and Tuesday, with highs in the upper 70s and low 80s at the beaches and reaching into the high 80s and mid-90s inland.

Highs around Orange County on Sunday topped out at 93 degrees in Anaheim, with readings of 89 in Santa Ana, Fullerton and El Toro, 86 in San Juan Capistrano, 85 in Los Alamitos and a pleasurable 78 in Newport Beach.

Lifeguards on the Orange County coast Sunday reported that the fog that shrouded the beaches on Saturday disappeared on Sunday, leaving an ideal combination of warm temperatures and clear skies. Beach temperatures ranged from the high 60s to about 80 degrees.

“Today has been almost picture-perfect,” said Mike Beuerlein, a marine safety officer at Huntington Beach. “I think people are releasing their frustrations from the lack of a true summer.”