Countywide : Beaches Remain Popular as the Heat Stays On

The unrelenting heat reached reached 95 degrees in some parts of Orange County on Thursday and is expected to continue at least through Monday.

“It looks like there will be a gradual cooling down over the next few days, but it will still be pretty warm,” said Steve Maneikis, a meteorologist for WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times. “Temperatures are definitely above normal for this time of year.”

The scorching weather, good air quality and warm ocean waters sent thousands of people to the county’s beaches Thursday.

“For the most part, summer is over--except for the weather,” said Newport Beach Marine Safety Lt. Eric Bauer. “School is back in, but we’ve got hot weather so people are still coming down to the beach in the afternoon.”

About 30,000 people visited the shores of Newport Beach, which was a relatively brisk 76 degrees by late afternoon and where the water was an unusually warm 72 degrees.

The water temperature at most of the county’s beaches has averaged more than 70 degrees this week, lifeguards said.

In Laguna Beach, the warm weather drew about 10,000 visitors to the coast. But they weren’t just sunbathing and swimming--many people had come to fish, said lifeguard Patrick Quigley.

“The fishing has been unreal,” Quigley said. “It’s going nuts.”

While those at the beaches enjoyed cooler temperatures, people in other parts of the county were not as fortunate.

Lake Forest was the hottest spot in the county, reaching 95 degrees. Santa Ana and Anaheim were close behind, at 91 degrees.