Heat Cracks the Records and Packs the Beaches : Weather: Santa Ana winds combined with high pressure make Sunday a scorcher. High reaches 93 degrees in the county seat; forecasters predict more of the same for today.

It was hotter in Santa Ana than just about anywhere else in the nation Sunday, but after enduring a winter of flooding and precedent-setting rainfall, the record high temperatures and sunny skies came as a welcome relief to many residents.

Sunday’s high temperature reached 93 degrees in Santa Ana, which made it the hottest February day here since record-keeping began in 1872. The previous record for the month was 92 degrees, set on Feb. 23, 1954, said Curtis Brack, a meteorologist at WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times.

“Santa Ana and Monrovia also earned the distinction of being the hottest places in the country Sunday,” Brack said.

Although Orange County can expect cooler weather throughout the week, more record heat is expected today. The mercury is likely to reach the high 80s--which would top the 83-degree record for the date, set in 1961, Brack said.

“It’s not unusual to have one or two warm spells during the winter, but it’s about 20 degrees above average for this time of the year,” said Brack, adding that the sweltering heat is a result of high pressure and Santa Ana winds.

To take advantage of the sizzling conditions, thousands of Orange County residents headed to the beach to bask in the sun and get a head start on their summer tans. About 40,000 people showed up at Huntington Beach--which lifeguards say may also be a record high for February.

“The turnout was more than double for this time of the year,” said Michael Beuerlein of the Marine Safety Department at Huntington Beach. “It’s like summer in February. I think people have a certain degree of cabin fever, and this is the place to cool off.”

At Seal Beach, lifeguard Jeff Martinek said the day’s turnout appeared to be about 100 times higher than normal for a February weekend.

“It’s absolutely packed,” he said. “It looked like the Fourth of July out there. Since we had so many weeks of no sun, people are just happy to come out and enjoy the sun.”

At Centennial Regional Park in Santa Ana, children flocked to a man selling frozen treats, gladly exchanging their extra change for Popsicles and other cold treats. Others at the park sat in shady areas, playing volleyball, lying in the grass and simply enjoying the sun.

“When we had all that rain, all you could do was stay inside and drive five miles an hour on the roads,” said Jose Cruz, 22, of Santa Ana. “Today, I tried to spend the day outside because it’s too hot at home.”

The day’s sweltering conditions, however, weren’t welcomed by everyone.

At a swap meet at the Orange Drive-In, vendors tried to stay cool under their tents but also had another weather predicament to contend with--the wind.

Throughout the day, heavy winds blew threw the swap meet, sending clothes, toys and other goods soaring in the air in an almost tornado-like fashion.

Garden Grove vendor Gabby Gutierriez, 14, said she spent the day chasing clothes, plastic bags and other goods that kept blowing away. To make it worse, Gutierriez wore jeans and a long-sleeved shirt--not the kind of clothes for 93-degree weather.

“Saturday, it was really hot,” she said, as she wiped her brow. “But today, it was really, really hot. All I wanted to do was stay under the tent and drink water.”

Record highs also were reported in Los Angeles and San Diego as a Santa Ana weather system continued to hold sway over Southern California.

San Diego’s high of 90 degrees made it the hottest February day since record-keeping began in 1872. The old record was 89 degrees on Feb. 24, 1921.

Los Angeles fell short of its overall record for February, 94 degrees, that was registered nine years ago. But Sunday’s high of 91 easily eclipsed the previous record for a Feb. 19, 85 degrees, set in 1982.

Times staff writers Mack Reed and Kenneth Reich contributed to this report.