Newport Beach shatters 52-year-old heat record as temperatures soar past 100

Local residents who are ready to trade in their flip-flops and T-shirts for fall sweaters and boots will have to wait awhile longer. Summer-style weather is reluctant to leave.

Temperatures soared to record-breaking heights Tuesday, climbing to 102 degrees in Newport Beach by the afternoon. By early in the day, the heat record for Oct. 24 of 85 degrees, set in 1965, had already fallen, according to the National Weather Service.

The average temperature in Newport Beach for that date had been 70 degrees, the weather service said.

The mercury also broke the 100-degree mark in Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa. Laguna Beach was slightly cooler but still sweltering in the mid-90s.

Newport Beach officials closed the Corona del Mar library branch at 420 Marigold Ave. at around 1:30 p.m. because it was too hot inside.

Mike Hogan wears a large-brimmed straw hat while playing croquet at Peninsula Park in Newport Beach on Tuesday, where temperatures reached more than 100 degrees.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer )

Residents and visitors flocked to the beach but found little relief on the blistering sand, said Jacob Philpot, a seasonal lifeguard in Newport Beach.

The beach crowd was larger than normal for a weekday in October, but not as packed as on hot summer days, Philpot said.

“It’s pretty oppressive when you walk outside,” he said. “If it was a weekend with these temperatures, I’m sure we’d be seeing packed beaches.”

The National Weather Service on Monday issued a red flag warning through Wednesday, saying high temperatures and Santa Ana winds will “bring the most dangerous fire weather conditions that southwest California has seen in the past few years,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

Forecasters say the winds and strong high pressure will continue to bring scorching heat through Wednesday.

The weather service recommends that people limit outdoor activities during the hottest part of the day, drink plenty of fluids, dress in loose-fitting, lightweight clothing and never leave children or pets in a car.

[email protected]

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN