Here's how some in the Bay Area beat hottest day of heat wave

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The effort to beat the heat on Thursday led to a busy Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

In the crowds, ABC7 News saw some seeking shade, others shelling out for an ice cream cone or water cannon, but mostly enjoying rides without restrictions.

RELATED: Bay Area to reach highest temperatures of year so far

What is a typical sight during the warm summer months was made almost impossible by the ongoing pandemic. However, as the state reopened on Tuesday, the boardwalk got rid of capacity limits and began to allow non-California residents in to enjoy.

"When there's a warm day, people flock to the beach and we're seeing that," Karley Pope, the boardwalk's Dir. of Sales and Promotions said. "It's a welcome sense of relief here at the boardwalk."

For the hundreds ditching the heat, daily, there's still great demand for seasonal staffing. Until then, guests will be met with modified operating hours.

VIDEO: Heat stroke or heat exhaustion: Do you know the difference?

Though heat-related deaths and illness are preventable, the CDC says many people still succumb to extreme heat every year. Here's a look at the differences between heat stroke and heat exhaustion, and how to treat those affected.

Crowds are only expected to grow and the weather is only expected to get warmer, as the official start to summer is just days away.

But great minds think alike and apparently take the same roads.

"Prepare for traffic. I'm not trying to be a 'Negative Nelly, but the traffic was bad," Dustin Fielding from Redding told ABC7 News.

RELATED: Tips to stay safe during the hot summer months

In the East Bay, dozens of concert-goers braved the triple-digit heat in Dublin Thursday night for the first of a free summer concert series at Emerald Glen Park. Many told ABC7 News that they're happy to be back out after California's reopening and the weather wasn't going to stop them.

Nearby children kept cool as they drenched themselves in the playground water fountains.

Dozens of concertgoers braved the triple-digit heat in Dublin on Thursday night for the first of a free summer concert series at Emerald Glen Park.

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