HAMPTON — A scorching 94‑degree day packed Hampton Beach in New Hampshire on Tuesday, May 19 — and by late afternoon, police were breaking up fights and declaring an unlawful assembly after a sudden downpour.

Portsmouth topped out at 94.1 degrees and Rochester hit 93, National Weather Service meteorologist Jon Palmer said. It marked Rochester’s hottest May 19 since NWS data for the city began in 2000, far surpassing the previous mark of 84.

Beach businesses said the crowds were no surprise.

Jake Magro, owner of L Street Tavern, said he saw traffic backed up all the way from Haverhill, Massachusetts, on Interstate 495 as people headed for the beach.

“The hot spell just hopped on us real fast,” Magro said. “It was unexpected.”

Hampton Beach Chief Lifeguard Patrick Murphy estimated about 75,000 people were on the beach Tuesday. A brief downpour around 4 p.m. cleared the sand, he said, but the sun returned by 4:40.

The heat‑driven crowds also brought a heavy law‑enforcement presence. Hampton police, along with outside police agencies, state police and the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office, patrolled the beach throughout the day.

Hampton Police Chief Alex Reno said officers were made aware of two separate “Hampton Beach Takeover” events circulating on social media, as well as several planned school skip days. As a precaution, police brought in additional personnel, including the New Hampshire State Police Special Events Response Team.

“Over the past several years, these social‑media‑advertised events bring large groups that generally devolve into drinking, fighting, rioting and generally unsafe behavior,” Reno said. “The crowds for these events were in the thousands.”

Shortly before 4 p.m., a sudden downpour sent hundreds of people running for cover under the Casino overhang, Reno said.

"Immediately, physical altercations began popping off and officers reacted quickly to take the responsible individuals into custody and attempted to restore peace quickly," he said. "However, several fights began breaking out all at once and in different areas of the Casino and bandshell complex."

For public safety reasons, Reno declared an unlawful assembly around 4 p.m. Police temporarily shut down Ocean Boulevard and formed a skirmish line to disperse the crowd.

"After approximately one hour, we restored peace," Reno said. "A half our later, Ocean Boulevard was back to fully open for vehicle and pedestrian traffic."

Reno said patrols continued throughout the evening. At 8:20 p.m., Reno said police had to form another skirmish line to break up another gathering.

In total, police responded to 127 calls for service throughout the day and made 50 arrests, including 13 for riot, 18 for unlawful possession of alcohol, three for driving under the influence, and one for second‑degree assault. No serious injuries were reported.

"We want people to come to the beach and enjoy all that the community has to offer," Reno said. "However, anyone coming to our community for the purposes of causing public safety issues or violations of law will be quickly addressed, arrested, and prosecuted.  We will not tolerate unsafe or unlawful behavior."

"Our officers worked very hard to maintain peace, law, and order and I'm incredibly proud of them all," he added.

Earlier in the afternoon — before police declared an unlawful assembly — the heat made Hampton Beach feel like midsummer, even though some businesses weren’t open yet. Tom McGuirk said his Post 8 outdoor bar and restaurant won’t open until the weekend as he finishes rebuilding after a fire earlier this year.

“Lots of traffic,” said McGuirk, who also lives at the beach. “I don’t see any trouble anywhere, but I’m not necessarily going anywhere.”

Hampton Fire Capt. Damien Sevin said the beach “felt like the middle of summer,” and his department had already responded to a number of calls by 4 p.m. He urged beachgoers to watch their time in the sun, stay hydrated, and remember that alcohol can worsen the effects of high heat.

“Plenty of water, of course, and limit your time in the sun,” Sevin said. “That’s what it really comes down to.”

The surge of warmth and humidity forecast for the week was expected to push temperatures into the 80s and near 90 across parts of the Midwest and East, bringing summerlike conditions, according to USA TODAY’s reporting on AccuWeather.

In some regions — including the mid‑Atlantic and Southeast — the outlets reported that the hottest temperatures of the year so far could arrive early in the week.

At the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine, Palmer said it is not unusual for May to see a hot day like Tuesday. He said there have been days in past years when temperatures reached the 90s.

“It’s not impossible,” Palmer said.

This week’s hot spell was a result of the way the winds were blowing, according to Palmer.

A ridge of high pressure settled over the region, and a light southeast wind moved in — a combination that kept the sea breeze from pushing inland. Without that cooling influence, temperatures were able to climb into the 90s along the Seacoast.

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“Those light southwest winds were pretty essential to kind of waft off the sea breeze, leave it over the waters,” Palmer said.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hampton Beach heat hits 90s; fights break out amid massive crowds