The calendar may say it’s fall but Thursday it felt like summer as weather records were broken across Southern California on Thanksgiving Day.

These giggling youngsters cool off from the Thanksgiving day heat at Huntington Beach as seen from its pier on Thurs., Nov. 23. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Brisa Renteria gets cooled down with a splash of water at the Annual Dana Point Turkey Trot on Thursday, November 23, 2017. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Thanksgiving day looked more like summer as seen from the Huntington Beach Pier. The mini heat wave makes it an uncommonly warm holiday, with possibly more record temperatures, forecasters said. Photographed Thurs., Nov. 23. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG)

They came with tents, umbrellas and cooler and cooled off from the Thanksgiving day heat at Huntington Beach on Thurs., Nov. 23. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG)

This youngster screams and giggles each time the waves near at Huntington Beach as seen from its pier on Thurs., Nov. 23. It was an unusually warm holiday. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG)



Thanksgiving day looked more like summer as seen from the Huntington Beach Pier. The mini heat wave makes it an uncommonly warm holiday, with possibly more record temperatures, forecasters said. Photographed Thurs., Nov. 23. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Nayely Perea, 4, is all smiles as she receives a bag of fruits and vegetables during Thanksgiving Day at the Fred Jordan Missions’ 73rd Annual Street Banquet in Los Angeles on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2017. (Photo by Ed Crisostomo, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Volunteers serve meals during Thanksgiving Day at the Fred Jordan Missions’ 73rd Annual Street Banquet in Los Angeles on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2017. (Photo by Ed Crisostomo, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Union Station Homeless Services served hundreds of turkey dinners to people in need during their annual Thanksgiving meal at Central Park in Pasadena, Calif. Nov. 23, 2017. (Photo by Leo Jarzomb, SGV Tribune/ SCNG)

Volunteers Abby Barnes, left, and Erich Melzer, both of Redlands, and others work together preparing meals to be delivered to seniors on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2017 at Bethany Reformed Church in Redlands. Meals on Wheels delivers meals to seniors in need 364 days a year. The only day they donÕt – Thanksgiving. Bethany Church congregation members and its volunteers stepped in to fill the need by working together to prepare meals for about 60 to be delivered Thanksgiving morning. It has been a tradition at the church since the 1980s. (Stan Lim, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)



A couple eats Thanksgiving dinner on a warm afternoon at ÒNickie’s 48th annual Thanksgiving Day DinnerÓ at the pier plaza in Hermosa Beach on Thursday, November 23, 2017. Nickie Tedesco, 91, began the annual event in 1970 by serving 250 people and it has grown to serving as many at 2,500 meals to anyone in the community. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

People line up for a turkey meal at “Nickie’s 48th annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner” in the pier plaza in Hermosa Beach on Thursday, November 23, 2017. Nickie Tedesco, 91, began the annual event in 1970 by serving 250 people and it has grown to serving as many at 2,500 meals to anyone in the community. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

Runners take part in the 15th annual Long Beach Turkey Trot on Thursday, November 23, 2017. Justin Rudd and his Community Action Team put on the annual Thanksgiving day for 3,000 runners and walkers. Participants strode along the beach jogging path from Belmont Shore to Shoreline Village and back along 5k and 10k courses. (Photo by Scott Varley, Press-Telegram)

Runners head out on the 15th annual Long Beach Turkey Trot on Thursday, November 23, 2017. Justin Rudd and his Community Action Team put on the annual Thanksgiving day for 3,000 runners and walkers. Participants strode along the beach jogging path from Belmont Shore to Shoreline Village and back along 5k and 10k courses. (Photo by Scott Varley, Press-Telegram)

Jon Prosinski carries a teammate the final 100 yards at the Annual Dana Point Turkey Trot on Thursday, November 23, 2017. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)



Nathan Chau, 13, raises his hands as he crosses the finish line in 1st place for the 1k race during the annual Turkey Trot on Thursday, Nov. 23 2017 at Sylvan Park in Redlands. (Stan Lim, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

Luke Sommer, with Phoenix Hope International, dresses up as a turkey as he and a large group of children take off from the start line for the 1K kids race during the annual Turkey Trot on Thursday, Nov. 23 2017 at Sylvan Park in Redlands. (Stan Lim, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

Ed Marshall, of Highland and his son Isaac, dress in costume as they run the 5k race during the annual Turkey Trot on Thursday, Nov. 23 2017 at Sylvan Park in Redlands. (Stan Lim, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

Ontario resident Jose Rocha and members of his extended family gathered at Rancho Cucamonga’s Red Hill Park Thursday to spend time together on Thanksgiving Day and get away from the heat indoors.

Some members of the family had fired up a grill near a shaded picnic table and preparing to to cook up a lunch meal of carne asada, rice and beans as others were about to have an informal soccer game.

“We wanted to have some time as a family on this holiday,” Rocha said in Spanish.

Heading to the park allowed the family to be together in a somewhat cool place. Temperatures reached 95 degrees in Rancho Cucamonga Thursday, according to Accuweather.com.

“We’re out here because of the heat but later on we will be at home enjoying the cool evening temperature” along with a turkey dinner, Rocha said.

National Weather Service meteorologists were watching temperatures throughout the day across Southern California where records were shattered Thursday. The Weather Service has been keeping records since 1877.

Downtown Los Angeles set a record for the hottest Thanksgiving Day with a high of 91 degrees, said Todd Hall, a meteorologist with the NWS Oxnard office. The old record for a Thanksgiving Day was 90 degrees set Nov. 26, 1903.

Woodland Hills hit a high of 95, breaking the 1995 record of 92; LAX had a high of 91 breaking the 1984 record of 90 degrees and Long Beach had a high of 91 breaking the 1990 record of 85.

In Riverside, the record set in 1995 with a high of 91 was broken Thursday when the mercury hit 93, said Brandt Maxwell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego.

Temperatures in Lake Elsinore reached 97 toppling a record set in 1995 when the high was 95, Maxwell said. Big Bear Lake recorded a high of 72 busting a 1981 record when the high was 68. Idyllwild had a high of 76 shattering a record set in 1954 when the high was 75.

In Orange County, Santa Ana broke a record established in 1933. The temperature that year was 91 and Thursday the high reach 92, Maxwell said.

“Its a combination of a Santa Ana (wind) pattern and a high-pressure system that together are giving us abnormally hot weather,” said NWS meteorologist James Brotherton with the San Diego office.

Some relief from the heat could be found along the coast and the High Desert where temperatures were in the low 80s, a bit cooler than the valleys of the Inland Empire, Brotherton said.

Records were set even though the heat began to decrease Thursday. Temperatures are expected to continue declining gradually, said Bonnie Bartling, weather specialist with the NWS office in Oxnard.

By Sunday temperatures “will be back down into the 70s,” she said.

But come Tuesday temperatures will start climbing up again, according to Brotherton. Highs are expected to reach the low to mid 80s.

Hall said the National Weather Service began putting out information last week about the rise in temperatures so people could prepare for it and keep hydrated.

In some place were Thanksgiving Day meals were being served, keeping people hydrated was on their mind. Such was the case at the Fred Jordan Mission in downtown Los Angeles, which serves a meal for the needy on Skid Row every year.

“We tried to give out water bottles and as much fluids as possible,” said Suzanna Choi, spokeswoman for the Mission.

At Central Park in Pasadena where Union Station Homeless Services was serving its annual Thanksgiving dinner, diners who couldn’t snag seats at tables set up for the feast looked for shady spots in the park.

Carlos Flores, 65, of Los Angeles found a seat but his section of the table was in the sun.

Flores thinks Thursday’s temperature it was hotter than Wednesday’s. Once he finished his meal he was planning to find a spot in the shade.

In Anaheim, where temperatures breached 90 degrees once again, thousands of residents and hundreds of volunteers from scores of charities, civic groups and private companies gathered at the Honda Center for the 31st annual We Give Thanks Dinner.

Attendees loaded their plates for the meals, then loaded them again to go.

Behind the serving areas, volunteers tended simmering vats of potatoes and stuffing under the afternoon sun.

“It’s hot, hot, hot, but it goes fast,” said Johnny Castro, 47, of Garden Grove, about manning the cooked stuffing pot.

“He burned the hair on his arms,” said Patricia Castro, Johnny’s wife.

The volunteer crew said seeing the families enjoying the day made it worth the extra-hot effort.

As for the weather, they said there have been hotter days and several years ago it rained.

Staff writers Ruby Gonzales, Greg Mellen and Wes Woods II contributed to this report.