Bay Area meteorologists are urging residents to avoid direct sunlight Saturday because the powerful rays warn of excessive temperatures amid one among the region's most severe heat waves in living memory.
Saturday was widely expected to be the most well liked day through the persistent high pressure system, and morning temperatures didn’t disappoint: In areas between 2,500 and 5,000 feet above sea level, equivalent to many campgrounds on Mount Tamalpais, they reached between 90 and 350 degrees Celsius – the best since 1948.
San Jose is bracing for a dry day. Temperatures are expected to succeed in highs of 95 degrees, while expected lows of 64 degrees at night can be only a touch cooler than the historic nighttime temperatures reached in the town within the early twentieth century.
And a day after the Oakland Museum recorded record temperatures, temperatures almost as hot were expected within the East Bay: The high temperatures of 86 degrees Fahrenheit expected in Oakland would break a record set in 1985. In areas of Contra Costa County, equivalent to Concord, highs of 104 degrees Fahrenheit were expected.
“Overnight lows were most uncomfortable on the hilltops and mountains,” said Rick Canepa, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Bay Area.
“Near the sea, some cooler air will move inland overnight,” Canepa added, “but as usual, this air will be overlaid during the day once the sun rises.”
The weather services hope that the warmth will ease from Sunday, although not significantly.
“It could cool down by 5 degrees,” said one other meteorologist, Nicole Sarment, on Friday. “Can you really tell if the temperature will go from 115 to 110 or from 110 to 105 degrees?”
Even before the apparent peak on Saturday, the intense weather in San José had led to the death of a homeless person, city officials said on Wednesday.
The scorching heat has increased the chance of fires inland, resulting from low humidity and dry fuels in vegetation created through the rainier winter.
Wildfire warnings issued by the National Weather Service, which warn against outdoor fires of any kind, including fireworks, were set to stay in effect across much of the Bay Area until 9 p.m., although the forecast of low wind speeds provided relief to meteorologists who had warned of greater wildfire risks.
Weather officials also warned residents that outdoor activities within the sun without proper precautions could quickly result in heat exhaustion or dehydration.
Still, recommendations urging residents to depend on air con are unlikely to resonate within the Bay Area: The San Francisco metropolitan area lags behind all other major U.S. metropolitan areas on the subject of air con equipment.
“Avoiding direct sunlight is absolutely essential,” said Canepa. “The sun's rays heat up the soil – there is a serious risk of sunburn or skin damage. Stay in the shade as much as possible.”
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