The continued extreme heat across San Diego County, pushed many more people looking for relief toward the beaches, this weekend.
Cooler conditions covered the coastline from the South Bay and Coronado north to Oceaside because of a different weather combination of hot and cold, moist air creating fog.
After about half an hour of clear conditions following sunrise, a cooler, wet marine layer collided with hot air moving in from the east, quickly creating patchy clouds and some banks of dense fog.
“It’s a lot strange, I’ve never seen it this misty and foggy before. Not like this,” said Jessica Urban who traveled to Mission Beach with her husband from their home in Phoenix.
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Joggers on the Mission Beach boardwalk, Saturday, ran through the fog that covered much of the coastline, August 29, 2026.
The couple drove more than 300 miles to escape triple-digit temperatures in Arizona. It’s a trip they’ve made many times before.
“Foggy, rain, or sun, I’m here for the day,” said Tim Urban. “We are not going to let it change our plans. We’ll stay until after sunset.”
San Diego lifeguards increased their visibility along beaches as the fog sometimes made it difficult to see people in the water or on the sand. The heat has also brought more people to the ocean.
“It’s been a record year,” San Diego Lifeguard Lt. Rick Romero told NBC 7. “We’ve made more than 5,000 water rescues since June because of higher surf, and the constantly changing weather,” he said. All city lifeguard towers are open with full-time staffing until Labor Day weekend.
The ocean itself has also been unusually warm. According to experts at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the water temperature reached a record-high 76.6 degrees this week, 10 degrees above normal.
Ben Stanger, of Santee, went for a morning run around San Diego Bay before ending up at Mission Beach and jumping into the water.
“It doesn’t feel like San Diego. I’m used to going numb after a few minutes (in the ocean). But, with the water the way it is right now, I could stay in there all day,” Stanger said.
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The sun breaks through fog at Belmont Park, Saturday. It burned off by late morning, August 29, 2026.
Victor and Jacqueline Chandler, visiting from Riverside, escaped from hotter temperatures inland.
“We just wanted to get a little relief from the heat in the Inland Empire,” Victor Chandler said. “We found Mission Beach, and this morning’s cool weather. It is a little overcast, but we love it.”
The couple is staying at their son’s house in Bankers Hill. So, they arrived at 6 a.m. when the parking lot opened and before the crowds showed up.
“We saw that it was empty, and now it’s full. So, that really helped a lot.” Jacqueline said. The fog did not bother her. “We are here to enjoy God’s beautiful creation, whatever that looks like.”
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Victor Chandler and his wife, Jacqueline, are visiting Mission Beach from Riverside, this weekend, August 29, 2026.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.