Summer Preview : Residents Flock to County Beaches in Search of Cooling Breezes

Near-record temperatures sent tens of thousands of sweltering Orange County residents to local beaches Sunday, but smaller than normal crowds gathered inland at area parks, where it was as much as 20 degrees warmer.

Temperatures reached a high of 95 degrees in Anaheim and 92 degrees in Santa Ana--warm for this time of year, but not quite as hot as the county record for the date--99 degrees in Santa Ana in 1923.

Temperatures were appreciably cooler along the coast, where highs ranged from 75 degrees in Newport Beach to 78 degrees in Dana Point.

“You would expect to see temperatures at about 73 degrees this time of year,” said Steve Burback of Weatherdata Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times. “This (hot weather) gradually built its way up for a few days and Sunday ended up being the hottest.”

The heat sent more than 65,000 people to Huntington Beach--the second largest crowd of the year, city Lifeguard Lt. Mike Beuerlein said.

“It’s very hot, without much of a breeze, so we’ve got a real good crowd,” he said.

In separate incidents at Huntington Beach, a 15-foot boat drifted within 200 feet of shore before regaining engine power, and a surfer suffered a heart attack. The unidentified man was listed in critical but stable condition at Pacifica Community Hospital in Huntington Beach, a nursing supervisor there said.

One of the largest crowds of the year flocked to Laguna Beach, where lifeguard Jeff Kolberg said: “It’s been real mellow for the (size of the) crowd.”

Far fewer people, however, basked in the sun at inland parks, where temperatures were significantly higher.

Only about 1,000 cars had passed through Mile Square Park’s gates in Fountain Valley by mid-afternoon. On a typical, busy Sunday, 3,000 to 4,000 vehicles would be expected, said park attendant Jeff Dekker.

“It’s been weird,” Dekker said. “There’s not enough trees or shade in our park, I guess.”

Warm winds helped produce the abnormally high temperatures, Burback said.

“It was like a weak Santa Ana situation,” Burback said, noting that winds up to 20 m.p.h. blew toward the coast, keeping cooler air over the ocean from coming ashore.

Cooler temperatures are expected today.