Many Head for Coast as Summer Visits in Autumn

Sunday’s sweltering heat didn’t break any records in Ventura County, but the unseasonable temperatures--between 15 and 20 degrees warmer than usual for this time of year--brought hordes of residents to the seacoast to cool off.

The high temperatures and moderate winds also prompted the Ventura County Fire Department to staff extra water truck crews should another blaze break out Sunday like a brush fire that scorched 10 acres near Moorpark a day earlier, said a department dispatcher.

Temperatures in coastal cities hit the high 80s, while inland temperatures reached the low to mid-90s.

Oxnard had a high of 88, while Ventura hit 86. It was 93 degrees in Ojai.

County firefighters responded to a small blaze off Creek Road in Ojai at 1:45 p.m. Sunday, but nearby residents had extinguished the flames before fire crews arrived.

Throughout the county, residents seemed to be celebrating a summer postponed, snuggling on benches atop the Ventura Pier, strolling along the nearby boardwalk or flocking to inland ice cream stores for a little solace from the heat.

Silver Strand-area resident Carlie Nething and her 4-year-old son, Jay, spent the afternoon sprawled on a blanket at San Buenaventura State Beach.

“I really love this weather,” she said. “Why wasn’t it like this all summer?”

Marc Phillips, who works at a Baskin-Robbins in Simi Valley, where the temperature hit 90, said the unseasonable heat brought scores of customers to the ice cream parlor.

“It pretty much gets full almost to where people have to stand outside and wait,” said the 18-year-old. “From what I heard, last year at this time there was nobody in here and they had to let a couple of people go. But this year it’s really busy and it’s definitely because of the heat.”

The Banana Belt Cantina, a cafe and bar that overlooks the beach in Ventura, saw healthy crowds throughout the summer tourist season, but locals are frequenting the restaurant more now to enjoy the coastline in this weather, said manager Dawn Rose. She said business is up about 25% for this time of year.

“This morning you could totally see the [Channel] Islands from here, so we had a pretty good breakfast,” she said. “It seems like we’re having our summer right now.”

Bob and Rita Walter of Thousand Oaks typically spend their Sundays on inland hiking trails, but opted instead to enjoy lunch on the Ventura Pier. The couple said it was too hot and dry to hike in the Thousand Oaks area, where the mercury climbed to 95 degrees.

Offshore breezes cooled the coast between noon and 1 p.m. Sunday by about eight degrees, said Stuart Seto of the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

“The sea breeze kicked in a little bit earlier, and that helped cool things off dramatically,” he said.

By evening, some of those who had taken refuge from the heat in their homes were out in the cool air at Surfer’s Point in Ventura riding waves and enjoying a brilliant orange sun as it dipped behind palm trees.

A determined Bryan Ray of Ventura was heading across the Surfer’s Point parking lot, surfboard under his arm, his wetsuit-top dangling off his torso. He’d spent the day in his apartment sitting in front a small fan.

“It seemed pretty hot,” he said. “I watched a football game, drank beer and now I’m gonna surf.”

Expectant mother Jes Claydon, also of Ventura, had a different method for cooling off. She sat on the crags viewing the surf and throwing rocks into the waves for her Labrador, Carly, to chase.

“The heat was definitely a motivator in coming down,” she said. “When you’re nine months’ pregnant, hot is not fun and cool breezes feel good.”

Times staff photographer Spencer Weiner contributed to this story.