The weather outside’s delightful

Greg Risling

Here’s a good idea for some last-minute Christmas gifts: suntan lotion, a

beach chair and a pair of sunglasses.

Orange County residents blessed with the good fortune to live in a warm,

yet mild, atmosphere continue to reap those benefits. Forecasters predict

temperatures in the high 70s to low 80s will last at least until

Christmas and maybe into the New Year.

Newport Beach lifeguards Tuesday reported larger crowds at the beaches

than the usual numbers they tally at this time every year. They estimated

that about 10,000 people will hit the beaches each day, mostly because

children are on break from school.

“You can never pass on weather like this,” said JosephMichelson, who was

surfing in West Newport with his two friends. “We are on vacation until

next week and we plan to take full advantage of this sunshine every day,

except when we need to be with our families on Christmas.”

Forecasters said the only downside to the forecast are the strong Santa

Ana winds that are expected to whip through Orange County through Friday.

The gusts will be between 30 and 45 mph in the coastal areas and may

reach up to 75 mph in the mountains.

“With the winds that are forecasted, there is that potential of downed

power lines and Christmas decorations outside,” said Mark Moede, a

meteorologist for the National Weather Service. “It will all depend on

where you are at and the strength of the wind conditions.”

The high-wind advisory will last most of Wednesday with gusts tapering

off slightly the next two days. But thanks to a weak offshore system that

has kept temperatures warm, residents can have a merry and sunny

Christmas.

“It’s been very nice, especially in Orange County,” Moede said. “These

temperatures we’ve been seeing over the last few days aren’t going to

change much.”