Rays Are Sharp : Temperature, Spirits Soar in Bright Sunshine

Jason Rowley and Tim Conley, two students from the University of Utah, found their way to Newport Beach in hopes of returning to Salt Lake City with a tan when the three-day holiday weekend is over.

“We’ll swap with Californians. They can hit the slopes and we take over the beaches,” said Rowley, 23, lounging on a towel next to the latest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.

“We want to get some sun to turn these bodies into normal looking,” added Conde, 19. “So it doesn’t look like we’re hibernating all winter.”

They joined thousands of others in Orange County who headed outdoors Saturday to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather after weeks of mostly dreary skies.

“The high pressure, the Santa Ana wind plus sunny skies produced very warm temperatures,” said Curtis Brack, a meteorologist at WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times. Santa Ana was the warmest city in the county, as the mercury hit 83 degrees. The coolest place was Dana Point, at 70. Throughout the county, temperatures ranged from the mid-70s to low 80s. Brack predicted more warm weather today--and said temperatures might top the record 87-degree high, set in Santa Ana in 1965. Temperatures are expected to be in the 80s inland and in the 70s near the beaches and should continue that way through Tuesday.

“Expect both upper-level high pressure and Santa Ana wind to be a bit stronger,” Brack said. “Which would push up temperature a little bit.”

On Saturday, warm weather drew dozens of people to the volleyball nets on the sand at Huntington Beach.

“It’s the first perfect volleyball day we have in 1995,” said Karl Rullman, a player who waited on the sideline.

Terri Livingstone of Cypress said she came out to Huntington Beach to put on her in-line skates and get some exercise outdoors.

“It just feels good to be out, to feel the sun. It gives you energy,” Livingstone said.

Farther south along the coast, the crowd increased at Newport Beach as the day progressed.

Gordon Reed, a Newport Beach lifeguard, was skeptical, however, that the crowd would prompt any rescue calls.

“In order to have rescue calls, you must have people in the water,” Reed said. The cold water is keeping people away, he added.

Sea gulls hovered above the men, women and children as they scattered lazily across the sand on bright beach towels near the Newport Beach Pier. Children built sandcastles and gleefully chased one another in and out of the water, while the adults read quietly or chatted with friends.

Three roommates from Orange munched on hamburgers, french fries and taquitos as they tried to catch some sun. The women said they strategically lined their purple, orange and yellow lawn chairs far from the water so they could have a complete view of the scene and gossip about passers-by.

Nearby, John McCormick, 68, of Fountain Valley read his newspaper. He said he came to the beach with his son and granddaughter in a last-minute decision.

“Living out here in Southern California, it’s a great asset to have the beach and most people don’t even touch it. When you get down here, you wish you were out more often,” McCormick said.

Far from the sand and water, the parents of 1-year-old Angelica Razo celebrated her birthday at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley. More than fifty family members and relatives gathered under a covered picnic area decorated with pastel-colored balloons and streamers. Meat sizzled on the barbecue as the proud parents, Luz and Alfonzo Razo, took turn serving Spanish rice, macaroni and chicken to family members.

“We were going to do it last weekend, but the weather was so bad we moved it to this weekend,” Luz Razo said.

“We were hoping for this kind of weather,” Alfonzo Razo said, smiling. “It’s beautiful. Absolutely perfect.”