This week is likely to bring the hottest temperatures to the Bay Area since September 2022. A ridge of high pressure over the West Coast has prompted the National Weather Service to call for excessive heat warnings until next Tuesday, with temperatures expected to exceed 100 in parts of the South Bay, East Bay and North Bay.
Below are some key charts that help put it into perspective:
1) Triple digit heat will be common across the East Bay and North Bay on Wednesday
2) The National Weather Service has issued excessive heat warnings and advisories for the whole week
3) The heat is increasing fire risk. Red flag warnings are in effect for the Santa Cruz Mountains, East Bay and North Bay through Wednesday night
4) The heat wave is likely to continue across California and the West for more than a week
5) PG&E’s public safety power shutoffs are affecting the Sacramento Valley, not Bay Area counties. To see a detailed map, go to https://pgealerts.alerts.pge.com/outage-tools/outage-map/
6) Public agencies are warning people to be alert for signs of heat stroke
7) The good news is that due to two wet winters, California is not in a drought
8) Most parts of California received 100% or more of their historic annual rainfall over the past 12 months, meaning moisture levels in trees and shrubs are still relatively high.
9) As a result of the rain and two years of above-average Sierra snowpack, most large reservoirs in California are full or near full, meaning most residents won’t face water shortages this summer.
10) The heat wave is expected to continue at least through Sunday.