Heat Records Tumble; Relief On The Way
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SAN JOSE: Record Temperatures Reached In South Bay [Lloyd LaCuesta]
Updated on: 2010-08-25 13:44:15
A thick marine fog layer slowly crept up the coast from Monterey Wednesday, bringing with it relief from a 48-hour heat wave that has shattered dozen of records across the state.
The National Weather Service reported that temperature in Santa Rosa soared to a sizzling 106, topping the old record for the date of 102 set during a heat wave in 1931.
Several other cities set new marks, eclipsing records set during that same heat wave 79 years ago. Kentfield recorded a 105, topping the 103 set in 1931. Napa was at 105 – two degrees warmer than in 1931 -- and San Jose soared to 102 exceeding the previous record of 99.
Among the other cities setting marks were San Francisco at 98 (old mark 89 in 2003); Gilory 106 (98 in 1974); San Rafael 102 (94 in 1971) and Oakland 99 (91 in 2003).
While local residents retreated to beaches, pools and cooling centers to beat the heat, the soaring temperatures made Tuesday's commute a difficult one.
Bay Area Rapid Transit also experienced delays of about 20 minutes Tuesday when computers that control the trains overheated during the afternoon, forcing conductors to slow down the trains and run them manually, BART spokesman Linton Johnson said.
Caltrain also slowed down its trains heading north to San Francisco after the heat caused the tracks to soften.
Meanwhile around the state, residents sweltered Wednesday through the third day of the heat wave with highs expected to reach triple digits again and set records in the valleys and deserts.
In addition, a 20 percent chance of afternoon thunderstorms in the mountains could increase the threat of wildfires in areas already full of dry brush, said Eric Boldt, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Oxnard.
"You might get some pretty significant lightning" without rain, he said.
No storms were expected in Kern County northwest of Los Angeles, where crews were attacking a 1,300-acre wildfire that temporarily forced the evacuation of 200 homes on Tuesday. The fire near Lebec was 30 percent contained Wednesday and no homes were in immediate danger.
The weather service issued excessive heat warnings for a dangerous afternoon combination of high temperatures and humidity in Central and Southern California mountains and Southern California valleys and deserts. A lesser heat advisory was in place for San Jose and interior valleys around San Francisco Bay.
Several locations tied or broke record highs for the date on Tuesday and "I think we're still in jeopardy of a few records today," Boldt said Wednesday, especially in inland valleys and the Antelope Valley area of the Mojave Desert.
Most of the Los Angeles region was expected to see highs in the 90s, but the San Fernando Valley could hit 105, according to the weather service.
Boldt urged people to keep out of the sun and to drink lots of fluids. Those without air conditioning can find shelters, he added.
"There's plenty of cooling centers available," Boldt said.
The heat wave began Monday as a large high-pressure system from the Southwest pushed into California. A low-pressure system heading in from the Pacific Ocean was expected to bring relief by Friday, Boldt said.
It was only the second significant heat wave of the summer following one in mid-July, Boldt said.
"Most of the summer, everybody's been thinking of it as a very cool summer. There's been a lot of cloud cover," he said.
Temperatures should continue to cool over the weekend but could start to heat up again late next week as the high pressure builds up again, Boldt added.
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Víctor Lei
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