Blistering rays should wane today

Luis Pena

Unseasonably scorching temperatures continued Monday as the 2004 fire

season kicked off earlier than normal.

Newport Beach had a high of 81 degrees, said Noel Isla, forecaster

for the National Weather Service. Sunday’s temperature topped out at

an even higher 86.

Unofficially, Costa Mesa was a little bit hotter than its

neighbor. The Orange County Fairgrounds was a blistering 95 degrees,

said Danielle Antrim, events services and sales assistant.

Plenty of people were escaping the even worse-hit inland by

high-tailing it to the beach.

“It’s better than staying in Upland and frying and not doing

anything,” Darren Paul said.

Brooke Heisinger of Walnut said she decided to get in her truck,

listen to some good music with four of her friends and head off to

the beach.

“It’s really hot and I wanted to get a tan, and I like that I can

go to the beach in May,” said Jennifer Welty, who escaped the hot

weather of San Dimas by laying on the sands of Newport Beach.

The hot temperatures are expected to go down 10 degrees today as a

cooling trend starts, said Stan Wasowski, forecaster for the National

Weather Service. The familiar marine layer of clouds should return

tonight.

While some may be glad they can get a tan in May, others had a

more serious take on the early hot weather, among them Craig

Chastain, division chief for the Newport Beach Fire Department.

Monday marked for him the start of the fire season, a full month

earlier than last year because of the hot, dry weather. The scorching

heat and no rain causes moisture in grasses and shrubs to dry out,

which makes them easier to catch fire and fuel flames, Chastain said.

Because of the danger of wildfires, several areas in and around

Newport Beach will be closed to the public: south of Bonita Canyon

Drive and Sand Canyon Avenue; from the San Diego Freeway to Coast

Highway; and west of Laguna Canyon Road to Buck Gully.