Hot Weather, Intense Rays Due in Return Appearance

If you liked Saturday’s hot weather, you’ll enjoy today’s because it’ll be just as hot, meteorologists say. But don’t forget to apply that SPF 45 sunscreen before heading outside, because the ultraviolet index is expected to top 10 again.

“With the sunshine and the warm temperatures, you will certainly burn,” said WeatherData meteorologist Harry Woolford. “So you’ll definitely need protection.”

Temperatures hit the low 90s at the Santa Ana Civic Center, as they have since Wednesday, but were a much cooler 70 at the beaches.

Southland residents fled to the beaches. At Newport Beach, lifeguards estimated a crowd of 85,000. “It was a nice, solid crowd,” lifeguard Eric Bauer said. “The parking lots were all full.”

Bauer said a dozen children were temporarily lost, a typical occurrence in heavy crowds.

“We have five bajillion people flocking our beach because it’s been hot,” he said. “The beach is so densely populated these kids get separated from their families. . . . We keep them in the towers with us while their panicked parents run aimlessly about looking for them.”

Parents eventually end up at the towers to find their children.

“We haven’t misplaced one yet,” Bauer said.

While it’s expected to be just as hot today, a shift in winds is expected to lower temperatures Monday by 10 degrees.

“The weather this past week hasn’t been record-breaking by any means, but it’s pretty warm,” Woolford said. “The week’s highs are hotter than normal for this time of year.”