BIG BEACH CROWDS EXPECTED FOR HOLIDAY.

Byline: Gloria Gonzales Daily News Staff Writer

Sun, sand and unusually warm ocean water should lure droves of campers and daytrippers to area beaches for the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles County State Beach campgrounds are all booked, and park rangers and lifeguards expect about 40,000 sun lovers at Ventura County beaches alone.

That's about double the number that visit county beaches on summer weekends, said Tom Ryan, a state park ranger who patrols beaches and campgrounds from Point Mugu to Point Dume.

State beaches have added lifeguards in anticipation of the crowds.

``This year we're expecting more people than usual, because the water's warm for this time of year,'' said veteran Lifeguard Mark Thompson, who patrols San Buenaventura State Beach. ``We've got nine lifeguards on beaches from San Buenaventura beach down to McGrath State Beach.''

Water temperatures along the Southern California coast from Santa Barbara through San Diego are unusually high for this time of year, said National Weather Service meteorologist Gary Ryan, making ocean wading and swimming a comfortable proposal. Normal May water temperatures along the coast range from the low to mid-50s, Ryan said, but this month, water temperatures are near the summer high of the mid- to high 60s.

``The water's running about 5 to 6 degrees warmer than normal this year, and it's a lot warmer than last year,'' Ryan said. Last May the water was in the mid- to low 50s for the Memorial Day weekend. Water temperatures in the mid-60s are holding all the way from Santa Barbara to San Diego beaches, and temperatures have reached highs of 74 at Oceanside beach in San Diego County.

Meteorologists are unsure why the water is so warm, though some speculate that the absence of strong, northwesterly winds common to Southern California in spring has caused the increase. The winds usually mix warm coastal waters with colder, outer water, Ryan said.

Air temperatures along the coast should hover in the 70s through the early part of the weekend, and could rise into the low 80s by Monday, Ryan said. Night and morning low clouds are also predicted, though the clouds could clear to patches on Monday.