SAN DIEGO — San Diego beaches could be experiencing some of the biggest crowds they've seen in years and it's not just because of the holiday weekend. It’s also because people are flocking to the beaches to escape extremely hot temperatures.
“Oh I am shocked, I mean the desert is still 117 degrees, but this is also bad,” said Dina Ray, who was visiting from Palm Desert.
Locals and visitors spent their holiday weekend at San Diego beaches hoping to escape an oppressive heat wave that is pushing temperatures into the 100 range.
For those used to San Diego's coastal weather, they were shocked over this extreme heat.
“I remember last year when we had a heat wave they expected the highest to be in the late 80’s but now it’s hitting 90’s so that is definitely unusual for San Diego.” said Frank Garcia, who was out with his two sons in Mission Beach.
In response to the heat wave, city officials are strongly encouraging residents to exercise caution when outside and to keep a close eye on the health of their children and pets.
Marine Safety Lieutenant Ric Stell with the San Diego Lifeguard Service says beaches are expected to hit their peak as large crowds rush to the beach.
“Started having larger crowds on Friday, we do have large crowds right now so the parking lots are impacted. The beaches are impacted,” said Stell.
If a heat wave during a holiday weekend isn't stressful enough, Lieutenant Stell also says we are dealing with an increase of swells of up to 4ft. which means strong rip currents.
“With that we want people to swim near lifeguards at all times, if you're visiting mission bay we want you to swim in designated swimming areas. If you have questions go ahead and ask San Diego lifeguards,” said Stell.
The heat wave is expected to continue through the rest of the weekend, with excessive-heat warnings in place into next week, these temperatures will likely be the hottest of the year, so far.
San Diego Lifeguards also recommend that you stay cool, hydrated and most importantly don’t forget to apply sunblock.
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