A prolonged heat wave hit the Bay Area and much of California on Tuesday, with record temperatures expected to hit, creating dangerous conditions across the region, including in areas where power was shut off to prevent wildfires.
The National Weather Service said the heat wave would last through the Fourth of July holiday and the weekend, and issued an extreme heat warning for most California counties from 11 a.m. Tuesday through 8 p.m. Sunday. Other parts of the Bay Area near the water are also under a heat warning; in San Francisco, the warning is in effect from 11 a.m. Tuesday through 7 p.m. Wednesday, and until 8 p.m. Sunday for the Bay Area coastline, Northern Salinas Valley, Hollister Valley, Carmel Valley and Northern Monterey Bay.
In addition, the Weather Service said a Red Flag Warning was in effect until 11 p.m. Tuesday due to critical fire conditions in the East Bay Hills, coastal Marin and Sonoma, and the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Red Flag Warning will remain in effect for the northern half of the state and the Sacramento Valley through Wednesday evening. The Weather Service said the heat is combining with gusty ocean winds and very low humidity to increase the risk of fires in dry, open grasslands.
KPIX First warning weather: Current conditions, warnings, maps for your area
As of Tuesday morning, Pacific Gas and Electric said public safety power outages were in effect for about 2,000 customers in small parts of eight counties — including Solano, Sonoma and Napa — and one tribal community. Another 10,000 customers have had their scheduled outages postponed because of more favorable weather conditions, primarily in Glenn and Shasta, PG&E said.
The Weather Service said a high-pressure heat dome over the Bay Area will push temperatures into the 90s by 11 a.m. and into the 100s by 1 p.m., with several temperature records expected to be broken Tuesday. Low temperatures Tuesday night and into many inland areas will be well above average, hovering in the upper 60s or low 70s.
The heat dome is expected to linger over California for at least a week, and the long-range forecast suggests that timeline may be optimistic, the weather service said. Dangerous heat will continue inland at least through the weekend, meteorologists said.
“While we have all seen temperatures like this before, this event may ultimately approach the upper limit of what we have seen so far.
historically, in terms of longevity,” the Weather Service said Tuesday in its daily forecast discussion. “Heat is the #1 weather-
related killer in the United States. This is a significant heat wave, especially for the inland areas. Take the proper precautions, because the impacts will only get worse day by day.”
People have been urged to take measures to protect themselves and their loved ones during the prolonged extreme heatwave. The risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke is not only for those sensitive to heat, but for everyone as the hot weather continues for days. A list of cooling centers can be found here.
