Hot Forecast Has Beaches Bracing for Big Crowds

Bring out your sunscreen along with your barbecue, because today promises to be cloudless, clear and hot--the hottest July 4, in fact, in several years.

Orange County lifeguards are preparing for a crush of people at the beaches, where temperatures are expected to reach the mid- to high 80s.

“It will probably be the busiest July 4 in the last few years,” said Huntington Beach Lifeguard Lt. Mike Beuerlein. “It should be a big beach day for many people.”

Meteorologists expect clouds to burn off in the early morning, unlike previous years when a thin marine layer tempered the heat and kept some folks from crowding county beaches.

Although Thursday might have seemed like one of the hottest days of the year, its high of 91 in Santa Ana was slightly lower than late May, when Orange County experienced unseasonably hot weather, said Wes Etheredge, forecast meteorologist with WeatherData Inc.

In Huntington Beach on Thursday, more than 55,000 people showed up at the beach, where the water is now nearly 70 degrees, Beuerlein said.

He urged beach-goers to arrive early today, because construction in the area near the pier has reduced parking. In addition, he stressed the importance of checking with the lifeguards about water conditions and safety tips.

An additional 10 lifeguards will be on patrol today, Beuerlein said.

“I would remind parents to tell their children which tower they are at,” Beuerlein said. “Tell them that they can come to a lifeguard for help.”