After this weekend’s traffic nightmare, some would-be beach goers may be wondering if the only way to snag a parking spot at one of Rhode Island’s state beaches is to get there at 8 a.m.

Not necessarily.

“I don’t anticipate that this will happen again,” said Larry Mouradjian, associate director of natural resources at the Department of Environmental Management.

“I do consider it to be out of the ordinary.”

Sunday’s beach traffic was backed up for miles in some places, and parking lots were full by late morning. After checking in with beaches from Narragansett to Westerly, the state did something it has never done before: officially declare all of the state beach parking lots closed.

Yesterday, though temperatures were comparable, reaching the high 80s, the roads were clear, parking lots were open and the beach was pleasantly bustling, according to Frank Brown, manager of Scarborough Beach North.

“Today is a cakewalk,” he said, laughing. Brown stood on the deck of the pavilion, which overlooked a half-empty parking lot.

“Today was a pretty uneventful day compared to yesterday.”

Brown says weather was to blame for the throngs of people who tried, many in vain, to make it to the shore Sunday. With skies nearly cloudless and temperatures topping 90 degrees in some parts of the state, the beach was an obvious destination.

“If it’s hot and humid,” he said, “people come to the beach.”

Yesterday, on the other hand, intermittent fog kept some people away. Even those who made it to Scarborough Beach had to get out of the water at least once because of the thick haze.

Brown was concerned that on Sunday the signs alerting drivers to the closed lots, which were turned on at 1:50 p.m., came on too late to do much good.

Most weekends, he said, “if you aren’t down here by 11, you’re out of luck.”

Mouradjian said he thinks a number of factors led to the unprecedented gridlock, including the weather, but also the timing. The first week in July is a traditional vacation week, he said, and people traveling to and throughout the Ocean State for the arts festivals and Fourth of July activities wanted something relaxing to do with their Sunday, almost always the most crowded day at the beach anyway.

Mouradjian said he thought the highway alert system worked well after the DEM clarified that the beach lots were closed, not the beaches themselves. Signs reading ALL RHODE ISLAND STATE BEACHES CLOSED prompted travelers to call the beaches and the DEM, asking if water pollution was to blame.

In the future, Mouradjian wants the state to use more live media — radio, television and the Internet — to bring people up-to-date information.

And public transportation is an option. Although buses still have to deal with traffic, they could still drop people off at beaches Sunday, said Karen Mensel, spokeswoman for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority.

Mouradjian said there were no critical incidents Sunday, thanks in part to staff members who stayed late to deal with the excessive numbers of people.

He doesn’t expect such big crowds to head for the beach anytime soon. After last weekend, Mouradjian said, “people need a break.”

bjeffers@projo.com