Hot weather returning to chilly Bay Area; Excessive heat watch for coming weekend
After a week of chilly temperatures and gloomy summer skies, tank top and shorts weather is finally headed back to the Bay Area.
While Monday remains mired in below-normal temperatures, Tuesday will see a return to seasonal averages leading to a week of gradual warming.
The National Weather Service said an Excessive Heat Watch will be in effect for the Bay Area and Northern California from Friday morning through Sunday evening.
"It is looking pretty likely we'll see temperatures above 90 degrees starting Thursday and Friday for interior portions of the Bay Area," said National Weather Service meteorologist Dial Hoang.
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A high-pressure ridge system will move slowly north from the desert Southwest during the week, bringing with it warming temperatures that are expected to top out Sunday.
"The interior valleys across the North Bay and the East Bay are going over 100 degrees during the weekend," Hoang said.
The transition to more summery conditions starts Tuesday, with inland temperatures hitting the mid-80s to low-90s from the North Bay to southern Monterey County.
As the heat gradually intensifies, relative humidity around the region will fall and vegetation will continue to dry out, although wind conditions should remain mild and widespread extreme fire risks aren't expected.
"For right now we are expecting the winds to remain mostly onshore and generally not gusting very high, although I do want to emphasize that even if we do have onshore wind patterns people should be careful to not create any sparks when doing outdoor activities," Hoang said.
People looking for relief from the heat can head to the coast, which will continue to remain under a marine influence that will keep temperatures hovering from the mid-60s to low-70s during the weekend, he said.
