
Thousands of Californians flocked to open beaches during a heatwave Friday despite Gov. Gavin Newsom's pleas for them to stay home.

The nation's most populous state recorded its deadliest day yet in the pandemic, with 115 fatalities in the 24 hours from Wednesday to Thursday. As of Thursday there were more than 40,000 confirmed cases in the state; the death toll stands at 1,597.

But Californians locked down for weeks during the coronavirus pandemic came back to local beaches as the weather warmed, prompting Gov. Newsom on Friday to plead for social distancing during the continued heat wave expected this weekend.

Newsom tweeted Friday: 'It’s going to be nice outside this weekend. You might be feeling cooped up. Ready for life to go back to “normal.” But can’t stress this enough: CA can only keep flattening the curve if we stay home and practice physical distancing. You have the power to literally save lives.'

California has been under a mandatory stay-at-home order since March 19.

Pictures taken in Huntington Beach, an Orange County city, on Friday show crowds gathering to enjoy as the state roasted in a spring heat wave. Dozens of locations reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit or higher well before noon, the National Weather Service said, and officials are bracing for even larger crowds this weekend.

Thousands of people in Huntington Beach seemingly ignore social distancing guidelines during the coronavirus outbreak

Hungtingon Beach Officer Angela Bennett told ABC7 : 'We're trying to ask people to maybe put themselves in our residents' position and think about the fact that our residents also have limited parking'

Groups of people flocked to the beach during a heatwave Friday despite Gov. Gavin Newsom's pleas for them to stay home

The nation's most populous state recorded its deadliest day yet in the pandemic, with 115 fatalities in the 24 hours from Wednesday to Thursday but this did not stop beach goers heading out to enjoy the sunshine in Huntington Beach Friday

Above-normal temperatures were forecast for much of the rest of the state into next week, with some brief interruptions.

'A below normal snowpack exists over the Sierra Nevada and it's likely to diminish during the next several days due to unseasonably warm weather,' the Hanford National Weather Service office said in social media posts.

This week in Huntington Beach as well as the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, surfers could be seen in the water on either side of a closed pier as sunbathers watched from the sand and joggers used pedestrian paths.

Lifeguards at Huntington Beach's main stretch of shoreline counted about 9,000 people on the sand and in the water on Thursday, according to local CBS television affiliate KCBS.

Up to 40,000 people are said to have headed to Newport beach Friday.

Many of those pictured Friday did not appear to be keeping six feet apart in line with social distancing guidelines and few were in face coverings.

As of Thursday there are more than 40,000 confirmed cases in the state; the death toll stands at 1,597

Californians locked down for weeks during the coronavirus pandemic came back to local beaches as the weather warmed, prompting Gov. Newsom on Friday to plead for social distancing during the continued heat wave expected this weekend

Parking lots are not open and so many of those enjoying the sunshine parked in nearby neighborhoods, according to local reports.

Hungtingon Beach Officer Angela Bennett told ABC7: 'We're trying to ask people to maybe put themselves in our residents' position and think about the fact that our residents also have limited parking.'

On Thursday Newsom appeared to concede that the state's beaches would be an irresistible lure to residents, who have been largely confined to their homes since mid-March.

'We're walking into a very warm weekend. People are prone to want to go to the beaches, parks, playgrounds and go on a hike, and I anticipate there will be significant increase in volume,' the governor said.

'But I also think if there is and people aren't practicing physical distancing, I'll be announcing again these numbers going back up,' Newsom said, referring to a slight downward tick in new hospitalizations and admissions to intensive-care units.

Newsom tweeted: 'It’s going to be nice outside this weekend. You might be feeling cooped up. Ready for life to go back to “normal.” But can’t stress this enough: CA can only keep flattening the curve if we stay home and practice physical distancing'

Pictures taken in Huntington Beach Friday show crowds gathering to enjoy as the state roasted Friday in a spring heat wave

Dozens of locations reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit or higher well before noon, the National Weather Service said

This week in Huntington Beach as well as the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, surfers could be seen in the water on either side of a closed pier as sunbathers watched from the sand and joggers used pedestrian paths

Newsom has been credited with taking early action to lock down the state as cases of COVID-19 spread in early March, and California has seen fewer cases than New York and other East Coast states.

California's beaches are under a patchwork of state and local jurisdictions, which means some have remained open while others were shut.

Los Angeles County closed all its beaches - including parking lots, bike paths, showers and restrooms - during the coronavirus outbreak, but leaders in neighboring Orange County voted to keep some open.

Amid a debate over whether residents are safer in open spaces such as the beach, officials in San Clemente in southern Orange County voted this week to reopen city beaches that they closed two weeks ago, the Orange County Register reported.

. Lifeguards at Huntington Beach's main stretch of shoreline counted about 9,000 people on the sand and in the water on Thursday, according to local CBS television affiliate KCBS. The area is pictured Friday

Newsom has been credited with taking early action to lock down the state as cases of COVID-19 spread in early March, and California has seen fewer cases than New York and other East Coast states

California's beaches are under a patchwork of state and local jurisdictions, which means some have remained open while others were shut. Los Angeles County closed all its beaches - including parking lots, bike paths, showers and restrooms - during the coronavirus outbreak, but leaders in neighboring Orange County voted to keep some open

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore urged residents to avoid flocking to beaches and trailheads as summery weather returns, the Los Angeles City News Service (CNS) reported

The number of infections in the state is likely much higher because many have not been tested

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore urged residents to avoid flocking to beaches and trailheads as summery weather returns, the Los Angeles City News Service (CNS) reported.

'Save police the awkwardness of us having to admonish you and advise and direct you for something that you already know,' CNS quoted Moore as saying. 'With that, our men and women can stay focused on public safety.

Taxpayers will pay restaurants to make meals for millions of California's seniors during the coronavirus pandemic, an initiative that could pump billions of dollars into a devastated industry while generating sales tax collections for cash-strapped local governments, Gov. Newsom also announced Friday.

The number of infections in the state is likely much higher because many have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected without feeling sick.

Newsom has said hospitalizations and patients in intensive care units are key statistics for deciding when to loosen stay-at-home orders. Both numbers have been essentially flat for much of the week.

Newsom has said hospitalizations and patients in intensive care units are key statistics for deciding when to loosen stay-at-home orders. Both numbers have been essentially flat for much of the week

Many of those pictured Friday did not appear to be keeping six feet apart in line with social distancing guidelines and few were in face coverings

Parking lots are not open and so many of those enjoying the sunshine parked in nearby neighborhoods