COUNTYWIDE : Temperatures Rise Well Into the 80s

While senior golfers were sweating in Ojai, thousands of sun-seekers lazed on Ventura County beaches Saturday, enjoying the hottest day of the year so far.

“There’s a lot of white bodies out there, and they’re going to be red bodies,” said Scott Parrish, supervisor of lifeguards at San Buenaventura State Beach. “It’s the biggest crowd so far this year, by far.”

While beach-goers worked on their tans, spectators at the GTE Classic in Ojai were looking for shade as the temperature reached 87 degrees by 2 p.m., according to a bank’s outdoor sign. The official Ojai high was 85.

“It is extremely warm,” said Keith Pillow, a spokesman for the Senior PGA Tour event. Elsewhere in the county, Santa Paula had an official high of 86 degrees, while the temperature reached 84 in Ventura and 81 at Simi Valley and Point Mugu.

Today’s highs are expected to be a little lower but still above normal, said Steve Burback, a meteorologist for WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts to The Times. The heat spell is caused by a strong high-pressure system over the Western United States that is blowing warm air from inland and blocking the ocean breezes that usually cool the area, he said.