Records Tumble As San Francisco Bay Area Swelters Under Stifling Heat Wave
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Even a rare August thunderstorm failed to break a stifling heat wave's grip on the San Francisco Bay Area Sunday as at least eight cities recorded new record high temperatures.
According the National Weather Service, temperatures soared to 106 eclipsing the previous record high of 105 set in 1951. Santa Rosa rose to 103 surpassing the 100 degree mark set on Aug. 16 last year.
San Jose residents sweated out a 100-degree day, beating the mark of 97 set in 2015. Records also tumbled in Half Moon Bay where it reached 82 -- 10 degrees warmer than the previous mark set in 2015. Santa Cruz soared to 107, shattering the mark of 94 in 1983.
Salinas soared to 98 breaking the oldest record for the day of 94 set in 1933. Monterey recorded a high of 94 topping a 90 in 2015 and King City reached 107, topping the 103 in 2015.
It was another record-breaking day in the Bay Area! Make sure you find a good way to stay cool, some areas are setting up to be even warmer tomorrow! #CAwx pic.twitter.com/gagwNUjTai
— NWS Bay Area ???? (@NWSBayArea) August 17, 2020
The soaring temperatures sent thousands to Bay Area beaches from Stinson Beach to Santa Cruz. Among them was Laurie Webb, who came to Half Moon Bay from Manteca with her friend, Liz Stevenson, to celebrate both of their birthdays and get out of the inland valley heat.
"We knew when we got up it was gonna be 109," Webb said. "We knew that we've been in our homes for 5 months and looking for something to do, thinking, you know what, rather be by the ocean ... a little bit cooler, celebrating and we knew people would do social distancing and everybody would stay in a safe spot."
San Francisco resident Angela Gonzales was among the thousands who flocked to San Francisco beaches over the weekend.
"It's crazy crowded, like I've never seen it like this before," Gonzales told KPIX 5. "We tried to stay apart as much as we could so, definitely worth it though, we can't pass up good weather around here."
Brian Castro lives nearby and chose to take a walk on the less crowded, southern part of Ocean Beach.
"I have mixed feelings. I think in a general sense I think it's okay to come to the beach, but I do feel like there are clusters that do get really crowded," he said. "Some people aren't wearing masks and there's choke points where people have to come in and out."
Weather forecasters predicted another three days of record or near record heat for the region. The weather service has issued an excessive heat warning through Wednesday.
"A long duration heat wave will impact the region through at least Wednesday," the weather service said. "Excessive heat will target interior locations for the full duration of the heat event, with persistent daily afternoon highs in the upper 90s to mid 100s across the interior."