Wide-brimmed hats were out in force Sunday with temperatures nearing record highs in Portland and breaking records in Bangor and Augusta.
Augusta topped its previous record of 90 degrees, set in 2016, with a high of 92 on Sunday, according to Meteorologist Stephen Baron with the National Weather Service in Gray.
Bangor also set a new record high temperature of 91 degrees, breaking its previous mark of 90 set in 1959.
Portland came close to a record for the date, topping out at 89, just one degree shy of the record set in 1988.’
Many other inland communities also broke 90, including Fryeburg at 92 degrees, but Baron said the weather service can’t say if that was a record because it does not keep historical data on Fryeburg. Elsewhere, it reached 90 degrees in Gray, Lewiston-Auburn and Sanford, while it got up to 89 in Houlton.
The National Weather Service said the normal high temperature for this time of year is 68 degrees. Baron said temperatures will fall back into that range Monday with a high of 68 degrees forecast in Portland and along the coast. The rest of the week looks to be sunny and clear with summer-like heat returning on Thursday.
While many people placed flowers or flags on cemetery headstones one day before Memorial Day, others flocked to ice cream stands and beaches.
At Popham Beach State Park, all of the parking lots were full by noon, and visitors were being advised on the park’s website to find “an alternative location for the day.”
The sudden surge of warm temperatures also presented a hazard to those out on the water. Palmer called it a textbook weekend for cold water danger.
The weather service issued a beach hazards statement until 8 p.m. Sunday for coastal York, Cumberland, Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Knox and Waldo counties, and the Coast Guard warned that water temperatures are still below 50 degrees and that the chance of immediate incapacitation due to cold shock is extremely high. “Anyone on boats or paddle craft should use extreme caution to avoid this threat.”
“If you fall into cold water, you could get cold shock or hypothermia quickly,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Jon Palmer said earlier Sunday.
A few people at Willard Beach in South Portland did brave the cold water Sunday, but not for long.
“It was a little chilly,” said Henry Fontaine, 72, who dove under before quickly getting out.
“As long as the sun’s out, I’ll be in the water. (But) I might not stay in it long,” the South Portland resident said with a laugh.
Other beachgoers were even more delighted with Sunday’s early blast of summer.
“It’s gorgeous!” said Sarah Boltz of Portland, who was at Willard Beach with her family.
Boltz said it seemed early to be so warm, “but we’re happy to have hot enough weather to go into the water. I got all the way up to my knees. That was it!”
She and others said they have frequently walked the beach this spring, but Sunday was the first time this year they came wearing bathing suits, carrying pails and shovels, and ready to lay out blankets on the sand.
Farther down the beach, Donna Lee of Franklin was with her granddaughter in the shallow surf, examining stones and shells.
“I love bringing her to the beach,” Lee said. “We love being out in nature and seeing how we can protect it.”
Staff writer Dennis Hoey contributed to this report
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