Hot, yes — but is it summer yet?

Published 6:00 am Saturday, June 15, 2002

Temperatures that soared into the 90s brought spring to an unusually early unofficial end Thursday. It felt like a preview of coming attractions for summer on Whidbey Island.

The mercury hit as high as 93 degrees at a measuring station at South Whidbey High School as the sun beat down mercilessly from a cloudless sky. Though for people who had no choice but to work outdoors the day was oppressive, many took advantage of the day to head to the beach or otherwise enjoy the weather.

At Double Bluff Beach, the crowd was heavy. Sun worshippers parked their cars more than a half mile along Double Bluff Road around noon Thursday, then took advantage of a low tide that took the water hundreds of yards out to scatter around the beach.

Even though it was the second to last day of school for seniors at South Whidbey High School, the noon crowd at the beach was primarily adults and children. Freeland’s Heather Dubendorf spent her afternoon chasing her children around in the sun. A longtime island resident, she said the heat came a little early this year. She said she typically expects the hot, dry weather in July and August.

“It is quite hot for June,” she said.

Elsewhere on South Whidbey, outdoor recreation was not as popular. Lacking the sand and the surf, South Whidbey Community Park was almost abandoned for much of the day.

“It’s been quiet,” said Suzette Hart, director of the South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District.

Though rising temperatures throughout the week have dried South Whidbey after a wet winter, the island is not yet at a heightened risk for wildfires. According to Fire Protection District 3, no risk warnings or burn bans — which are common during the summer — are imminent.

The heat faded quickly by week’s end. Friday temperatures were in the mid-60s and lower 70s.

South Whidbey was the hot spot on Whidbey Island. At Naval Air Station Whidbey, weather watchers registered a maximum temperature Thursday of 79 degrees.