Sneak Preview of Summer Is a Sizzler

A spring heat wave set records in parts of the Southland on Saturday and forecasters said the unusually warm conditions would continue through today before a slight cooling trend early in the workweek.

Saturday’s high of 88 in downtown Los Angeles was not a record for the date, but several readings elsewhere in Southern California were, said National Weather Service spokesman Bill Hoffer.

The records included highs of 78 at Los Angeles International Airport and 79 at Santa Barbara Airport, he said.

Officials said tens of thousands of people headed to the region’s beaches Saturday to escape -- or enjoy -- the bright blue skies and summer-like warmth.

“An absolutely gorgeous day,� said Los Angeles County lifeguard Capt. Terry Harvey, who was on duty at Zuma Beach. “The parking lot was full and it was wall-to-wall umbrellas on the sand.�

At Santa Monica beach, lifeguards said they were busy during the day with about 20 rescues and a couple of scuffles in the large crowd. But mostly, said Capt. Jim Makuta, it was just “a very, very nice day,� with temperatures of 78 degrees on the sand and 66 in the water.

Today is expected to be much the same, with a high of 85 degrees forecast in downtown Los Angeles and 96 in Pasadena. The high temperature is expected to drop to about 80 downtown both Monday and Tuesday.

After winter rains of near-record levels for Southern California, the early heat has fire officials on guard. But Los Angeles County fire officials reported no major problems Saturday.

In Central California, officials at Yosemite National Park were still watching for flooding from a snowpack that is nearly twice as large as usual, said Deb Schweizer, a National Park Service ranger.

The Merced River tends to rise the most at night, as the melting snow makes it down from the mountaintops, Schweizer said. On Friday night, the river rose above 10 feet but did not cross the roads. On Saturday, when the weather warmed to about 85 degrees, the river level hovered at 9 feet.

“Based on the predictions we’re getting, the water will not likely cross roads today, even in middle of night,� Schweizer said. “I would say we’re watching the weather on Monday and Tuesday night.�

Two low-lying roads and about 30 sites at North Pines Campgrounds were closed early last week when the river rose to more than 11 feet and spilled over. The roads were reopened, but the campground remained closed Saturday.

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Times staff writer Jia-Rui Chong contributed to this report.