Records fell throughout the Bay Area on Friday, even as advisories were changed to warnings and the state’s overseer of electricity warned customers to conserve energy or risk rolling blackouts.
So it felt as the Bay Area’s late summer heat wave arrived in full force. Forecasters said it will pack such a kick that not even the experts know how long it will stick around.
This map display the current temperature for every observation station 95+ degrees as of 1245pm.
These obs are widespread throughout the region with plenty of the day left.
Some sites along the immediate coast have begun to cool as a light afternoon sea breeze begins.#cawx pic.twitter.com/XlIrQhtWgW
— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) August 14, 2020
“It could go all the way through next week,” forecaster Anna Schneider said by phone Friday morning. “We just really are gonna have to wait and see.”
As of 4:30 p.m., at least five cities had logged record highs, according to the weather service. Among the hottest of those spots was San Jose, which saw a high of 101, breaking last year’s mark of 98.
Temperatures soared to 98 degrees in Oakland, breaking last year’s mark of 90; 96 degrees in Salinas, breaking the 1984 mark of 84; 96 degrees in Richmond, breaking last year’s mark of 90 degrees; and 95 degrees in downtown San Francisco, breaking the 1995 mark of 86.
Unofficially, Livermore was showing temperatures of 105 degrees and was the hot spot in Alameda County. Concord also showed 105 degrees and Brentwood showed 102.
Looking for place to escape the heat? Here’s a list.
The heat created challenges for those who didn’t have air conditioning. Bay Area counties set up cooling centers, and non-profits were doing what they could to take care of those especially vulnerable to the heat.
As temperatures soared past 100 degrees in San Jose, Dennis Ayala, 34, hid from the heat at a public cooling center inside the Roosevelt Community Center. Ayala, who said he has been homeless in the city for the past three years, called the cooling center a life-saver for people like him, because libraries, cafes and other buildings that normally would be open are closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s just unbelievable how the weather has been the last few days,” he said. “I’m on medication where I can’t be in the sun all day. Who knows? I could pass out and have to go to the emergency (room), and they’re already packed as it is.”
Dina Bartello, director of the homeless nonprofit WeHOPE, said she was especially concerned and was sending case managers out with extra water supplies to check on the encampments WeHOPE serves.
“Last year, homeless people who were out on the streets had the opportunity to go to the YMCA or the library (during a heat wave),” she said. “They don’t have that option anymore. We have to be diligent with the population and make sure they have access to clean water.”
Meals on Wheels San Francisco spokesperson Jim Oswald said he worried about the elderly residents the nonprofit serves, many of whom live alone on less than $1000 a month.
“Many of our clients unfortunately don’t have access to air conditioning,” Oswald said. “We’re doing extra duty by calling our clients and making sure they’re OK.”
So how long will the brutal heat last? For folks closer to the coast, the news was better.
“The coast is going to have its hottest day (Friday),” Schneider said. “For the other areas, there may be a few degrees difference up or down each day, but it’s going to be hot.”
Excessive Heat Warning in effect for inland areas starting today and lasting through the weekend. Heat Advisories in place around the Bay. #BeatTheHeatCheckTheBackSeat pic.twitter.com/wDtqNnRLcp
— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) August 14, 2020
A high-pressure bubble that originated in the southern deserts is responsible for the rise in temperatures, and Schneider said it is still expanding and killing breezes that usually cool the area. The strength and eventual size of the bubble figure to determine how long the heat wave lasts, she said.
The result caused the weather service to change an excessive heat advisory lasting through Sunday into an excessive heat warning that now runs through Wednesday. The southern Monterey Bay and Big Sur region were added Friday to the warning list.
The southern Monterey Bay and Big Sur region have been added to the heat advisory for today as temperatures soar into the upper 80s to 90s and locally 100s. Widespread upper 80s to low 100s seen regionwide except at the immediate coast. Its a hot one.#cawx pic.twitter.com/OHRFEuNnEi
— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) August 14, 2020
The heat also brought with it a flex alert from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday. California’s Independent System Operator oversees the state grid and called for the alert. PG&E notified its customers that it will be in effect from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The alert serves as a warning for customers to conserve electricity when air conditioners are at peak use. Customers are encouraged to keep their thermostat at 78 degrees, to draw their drapes and to turn off unnecessary lighting. Phone chargers, power strips and other electrical devices should be unplugged when not in use, the utility company said.
The ISO also declared a statewide stage 2 emergency, and warned if system conditions do not improve, it will declare a stage 3 emergency, which will lead to rotating power outages.
The weather service also kept its eyes on several storm cells forming in Southern California waters, but Schneider said the agency did not record any lightning strikes over land and that the only rain showers Friday would happen over the ocean.
How long the heat wave will last remains a bit uncertain, Schneider said. The heat warning lasts through Wednesday, but only because forecasters are unsure what will happen after that.
“That’s really about as far as we can go,” she said.
Staff writer Jason Green contributed to this report.
Check back for updates.
