As John and Martha Rowe of Cupertino sat on a wooden bench under a blazing October sun at the Pismo Beach Pier on Wednesday, they laughed that they packed flannel jackets on their trip to the coast.
“We thought it would be chilly,” Martha Rowe said. “But I’m actually enjoying the sun.”
The offshore winds that have been causing the heat wave will start to diminish Friday, and high temperatures will drop as well. Local forecaster John Lindsey said Wednesday’s weather was warm but not record breaking.
The Rowes, while getting away from the hustle of city life, took pleasure in people watching and taking in the day. They likened the breeze to the warm gusts of California’s fire season.
The hot sandy beach sprawled beneath them was filled with dozens of bikini-clad beachgoers, kids and sunbathers. Families took refuge under the shade of the pier. Surfers and boogie boarders dotted the waters, their heads popping up from the blanket of frothy white surf after the towering waves crashed. They quickly paddled back out for another go.
Another day of hot temperatures is expected across San Luis Obispo County before cooling starts Friday.
Today’s highs will range from 96 degrees in San Luis Obispo to 95 in Paso Robles and 86 in Pismo Beach, the National Weather Service said.
Overnight lows will be in the mid- to high 50s.
Projected temperatures can vary slightly even for the same communities because of microclimates and differences in forecasting models.
As the county cools down Friday, San Luis Obispo will be 85 degrees, the weather service said, while Pismo Beach will cool to 74. Paso Robles will remain in the 90s.
Partly cloudy conditions are forecast for this weekend as the remnants of a tropical storm come north from Mexico. Highs in Paso Robles will be in the 80s, while San Luis Obispo will be in the high 70s and Pismo Beach will be foggy and in the 60s.
Wednesday’s beach trip was good timing for Yoana Lopez of Santa Maria, who brought her two small children to splash and play after school on a whim to escape the heat.
“They usually like to build sandcastles, but we don’t have any of that today,” she said. “We just realized it’s too hot and had to go.”
Her 4-year-old daughter happily giggled as the cold water touched her little toes while the salty wind rustled the soft hair of her 1-year-old sister in Lopez’s arms.
“We’ve been waiting for a day like this.”
While the area wasn’t as packed as in summer, business was up about 30 percent over a typical Wednesday at Hoagies Sandwiches & Grill in downtown Pismo Beach, co-owner Kasey Joseph said from behind the busy hum of the cash register.
One group from Bakersfield told her they were surprised it was hotter by the beach than at their inland home, she said.
SanLuisObispo.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. See our full terms of service here.
Here are some rules of the road:
You should also know that The Tribune does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at webmaster@thetribunenews.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the username of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to webmaster@thetribunenews.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.
Be the first to know what's going on in San Luis Obispo County. Just tell us how you want to find out — we'll take care of the rest.
Sign up for breaking news alerts from SanLuisObispo.com and get the latest news sent to your cell phone via text message.
By signing up for alerts from this site, you are signing up for a program that may include up to 5 SMS text alert(s) per alert category per day. There is no service fee charged per month but your carrier's standard text messaging and other charges may apply. You may stop this subscription service at any time by sending the text message "STOP" to 72737. You must be at least thirteen (13) years of age to use our alert services. If you are between 13 and 17 years old, you agree that you have received parental permission both to complete the registration process and to receive SMS content on your cell phone. For help, send the text message "HELP" to 72737. This service will work with ATT, Verizon, Sprint, Nextel, Alltell, US Cellular, Cincinnati Bell, Boost, Virgin Mobile USA, Celluar South, Telos, Centennial, East Kentucky Network, Cellcom, Immix and Rural Celluar.
E-mail »
Twitter »
Facebook »
iTribune »
Subscribe »
RSS »
About comments
Reader comments on SanLuisObispo.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Tribune. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.