The first day of summer was a beach day for thousands who hit the Seacoast Wednesday.

Many arrived at the state's beaches early to find a place to park and stake out their spot on the beach. They also wanted to soak up some sun before conditions became oppressive with temperatures soaring into the 90s and muggy air creating a heat index of up to 100.

“I don't mind the heat, but I'm seven months pregnant. It gets to be a bit much now,” said Jamie Kapral, 24, whose son, Braylon Goraczkowski, played with his trucks in the sand while she relaxed in her beach chair at North Beach in Hampton.

The shot of summer heat prompted heat advisories to be posted for much of New Hampshire on Wednesday. The heat and humidity are expected to linger through Thursday before things begin to cool off.

Nancy Law, 54, of Portsmouth, met up with her sister, grandchildren and other family members for a day at the beach. She grew up in Hampton and always enjoys returning to the beach, where the kids love to hunt for crabs at low tide.

While she likes the beach during the summer months, Law said she prefers spring and fall when it's quieter.

“It's like you really belong here,” she said of spending time at the beach during the off-season.

Colin Arnold, 19, and his girlfriend, Morgan Andreski, 18, both of Westfield, Mass., have been coming to New Hampshire beaches ever since they were kids. Arnold's grandparents live near North Beach, so they two spent Tuesday night there in anticipation of a scorcher on the first day of summer.

Arnold said he always chooses beaches in New Hampshire over those in other parts of New England.

“I'd rather take the extra half-hour drive and come here,” he said as he and Andreski lounged in their chairs with the water splashing over their feet.

With a book in hand, Jenny Iverson of Hampton planned to stay at the beach until about noon, because she doesn't like the heat.

But the hot weather was good for business at one place where people typically flock for a cool treat: the ice cream shop.

Bill and Janet Patenaude, owners of Nelson's Candies in Hampton, dished out ice cream Wednesday but expected to see sales climb as the season gets under way. July and August are usually the busiest months for their business.

“Now that they're out of school, this weekend should be a big weekend,” said Bill, whose wife's family has owned and operated Nelson's since 1911.

Mint chocolate chip is always a big seller, but it's not the only one.

“We sell a lot of the moose tracks,” Bill said.

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Jason Schreiber may be reached at jschreiber@newstote.com.