Throngs Pack Beaches as Sun Comes Out for Holiday : Labor Day: It was as if summer saved the best for the last, with perfect weather for picnicking and swimming.

Celebrating the traditional end of summer, tens of thousands of people spent a gorgeous Labor Day lounging on Orange County beaches and picnicking at parks, and later in the day returning home on crowded freeways.

Clear skies and high afternoon temperatures in the mid-80s sent throngs of sun-worshipers and surfers to Orange County beaches, officials said.

“Personally, I think this was the nicest day we’ve had so far” this summer, said Steve Lashbrook, a marine safety officer in San Clemente, where an estimated 15,000 people spent hours on the sand and in the surf.

It was a beatific end to what had been called the summer that wasn’t; a season in which June, July and August were marked by below average temperatures and frequent overcast skies.

But on Monday, the beach cities were in their glory, reporting temperatures in the high 70s, while inland Orange County reached into the mid-80s, according to Curtis Brack, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides forecast information to the Times.

“Everybody on the beach seemed to be enjoying themselves,” Lashbrook said. “The surf was good enough for those who were avid (surfers) and not too big for the people who weren’t.”

Lt. Greg Crow of Huntington Beach’s marine safety detail, called it “a good way to end summer. Not a whole lot of wind, everyone seemed pretty well behaved. Summer left with a bang.”

Lifeguards along county beaches were kept busy rescuing about 150 swimmers Monday, an average number given the large crowds, they said.

Several lifeguards around the county estimated that the crowds on Monday were as large or larger than those they saw last Labor Day, though not as big as the July 4 throngs this summer.

Lashbrook said the relatively cooler weather all summer was a large reason why so many people came out on Monday.

“There was beautiful weather all summer last year, but this summer it has taken some time to get nice. This summer you couldn’t come out until now,” he said.

In Seal Beach, the pier was packed with people, but that did not translate into booming business at Ruby’s, a diner at the end of the popular pier.

“The pier is packed. I was expecting it to be wall-to-wall people” in the restaurant, but business is average, said manager Gary Franta.

Police around the county reported a relatively peaceful holiday.

“We’ve been really quiet around here waiting for everyone to return,” said Lt. Mike Hanrahan of the Fountain Valley Police Department, mirroring comments from other departments. “Every thing seems to have quieted down.”

Meanwhile, the California Highway Patrol was busy Monday evening with traffic-clogged freeways as those who had left Orange County for the weekend returned in time for the beginning of school and the work week.

One major accident was reported, a fatality about 8:30 p.m. in the southbound lanes of the San Diego Freeway near the Jamboree Road exit. It slowed southbound traffic for about an hour, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Elsewhere, the most severe congestion began about 6 p.m. near the El Toro Y in South County, where the San Diego and Santa Ana freeways merge.