Some Like It Hot

Sun-loving crowds hit Orange County’s coast on Saturday to celebrate 1999’s first weekend of beach weather. Temperatures in the upper 80s nearly set a record in Santa Ana, and more warm weather is expected today.

Lifeguards from Seal Beach to San Clemente said the turnouts were the largest this year, with more than 40,000 showing up at Huntington City Beach and 30,000 people at Laguna Beach.

Despite the large crowds, lifeguards reported fewer than the expected number of rescues and requests for medical aid. They said cold water temperatures that hovered in the 55-degree range kept most people out of the ocean.

“Most people hit the water and hung a U-turn,” said Richard Chew, a lifeguard supervisor in San Clemente.

Inland, Santa Ana hit 87 degrees, just shy of the record of 88 posted in 1950. In other county areas, San Juan Capistrano was 89, Anaheim was 87 and Newport Beach was 86 degrees.

Today, the mercury is expected again to hit the upper 80s but will dip on Monday when a high-pressure ridge moves east of California, allowing ocean breezes to resume. Monday’s high is expected to be in the mid-80s, said Ellie Budai, a meteorologist with WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times.

The rush to the coast packed thoroughfares and parking lots near beach areas as crowds jammed local eateries, boutiques, surf shops and other establishments.

Ice cream shops and coffeehouses selling iced drinks reported big business.

“It’s absolutely great today!” an exuberant Frank Heiberger said as he doled out scoop after scoop of ice cream from his shop at the Balboa Fun Zone.

For Heiberger and other merchants whose fortunes depend on the weather, it’s been a lousy spring. Despite Southern California’s heralded reputation for balmy weather, store owners said business this spring has been down significantly from past years because of recent cold mornings and rainy weekends.

But Saturday’s weather and large beach crowds signaled an end to the spring slump.

Dorothy Handy at the Fun Zone Boat Co., which runs whale-watching excursions, left her home early dressed in layers of warm clothing to ward off any morning chill. By noon, she was sweltering.

“Can you believe it?” Handy said as she ushered dozens of passengers into a boat. “I have to go home and change and put on some summer clothing.”

Tony Dalzell, owner of Marina Water Sports, which rents boats in Balboa, was overjoyed at the balmy weather.

“We already have seven or eight boats out on the water, and I’m already booked solid” for today, Dalzell said.

Until the weekend, the weather was better for business in January and February than March and April, said Dalzell, who has survived two tumultuous years of El Nino and La Nina weather.

“I got in the boat rental business two years ago,” Dalzell said. “My first year was the El Nino and then this year turns into one of the coldest winters in history. Economically, it’s been the worst spring.”

In Huntington Beach, Mike Ali, owner of Zack’s concessions, which offers everything from soft pretzels to rental surfboards, hired a Brazilian jazz band for his grand opening.

Rain postponed the store’s grand opening two weeks ago.

“I’ve been suffering all spring,” Ali said. “But after last week’s rain, we knew that we couldn’t have two consecutive weeks of bad weather here in Huntington Beach, so we scheduled our opening for this weekend.”

In San Clemente, Kaylani Coffee Co. employee Trevor Maroshek said the change in weather had made customers thirsty for drinks other than hot coffee.

“Everyone starts coming in and getting ice drinks,” he said.

Linda Kessman, owner of Main Street Ice Cream and Yogurt in Seal Beach, said it was the busiest day of the year for her store.

“As the weather gets warmer and warmer, we get very busy,” she said.