Balmy Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday A Welcome Respite For Bay Area Residents
LOS GATOS (KPIX) - The Bay Area enjoyed a reprieve from winter weather over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, with clear sunny skies, and temperatures in the 70s, with light breezy conditions at lower elevations.
At the Lexington Reservoir in Los Gatos, the high reached 72, with wind gusts around 25 mph along the ridges, in line with forecasts from the National Weather Service.
Deric Horn and his partner were spotted running the reservoir in a t-shirt and tank top.
"Mixed feelings of course. It's great to have it sunny outside, but we could probably use the rain about now," said Horn.
The National Weather Service warned of wind gusts up to 70 mph at elevations above 1000 feet. The gusty winds were evident at Sanborn County Park near Saratoga, at the top of Summit Rock, elevation 2881 feet.
Angela Le, who recently relocated to the Bay Area, made the trek wearing shorts.
"It's a little too windy for shorts but I think it's bearable. I came from the East Coast not too long ago and I definitely would not be doing this January," said Le.
Along Highway 17 southbound towards Santa Cruz, traffic volume began picking up just before lunch, and visitors to Main Beach near the Boardwalk enjoyed a gentle offshore breeze and a high of 75 degrees.
Such a gorgeous day was lost on Rashaad Flowers.
"Listen, this is the way to spend MLK Day. I woke up very grateful, and very humble by the fact that I can be in a place with so many different, diverse people. And just be. It's not segregated. It's not hateful. It's not oppressed. It's taking a break from the heaviness. Like, we don't get that often," said Flowers.
The NWS issued a wind advisory between 10 p.m. Sunday and 6 p.m. Tuesday in the North and East bays as well as San Francisco, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties.
Interior parts of Monterey County will be under a Red Flag Warning from 7 p.m. Monday to 3 p.m. on Tuesday due to dry conditions wrought by the relatively high temperatures and gusty winds.
Temperatures across the region are expected to fall later in the week with slight chances of rain developing by Friday, according to the NWS.