Deadly Bay Area heat wave reaches peak; excessive heat warnings remain until Friday
The last peak of a deadly heat wave that has lasted more than a week was again expected to bring near-record or record temperatures to portions of the Bay Area and Northern California Thursday.
The National Weather Service said Thursday's high temperatures would be slightly higher than Wednesday's highs because of a compressed marine layer and there would only be a few degrees of cooling on Friday. Additional gradual cooling was expected into the weekend.
Daytime highs were expected in the 70s to 80s on the coast, 70s to 100s around the bay, and into the 100s inland.
KPIX First Alert Weather: Current conditions, alerts, maps for your area
Excessive Heat Warnings remained in place for North Bay interior mountains, East Bay hills and interior valleys, Santa Clara Valley, and Eastern Santa Clara hills through 8 p.m. Friday. Heat Advisories were still in place for North Bay coastal ranges and valleys, San Francisco Bay shoreline, and parts of the Peninsula through 8 p.m. Friday.
The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner/Coroner's Office said it was investigating 19 potentially heat-related deaths since July 1.
"Many of the potential heat-related deaths found in their homes did not have air conditioning and if they did, it was not turned on," the Coroner's Office said in an email to CBS News Bay Area.
The office also said that of the 19 deaths, three people were homeless and one was unhoused but enrolled in a transitional housing program. None of the deaths involved work-related heat exposure.
The Weather Service said by the start of next week, temperatures will return to right around seasonal normals. Until then, it reiterated the following heat safety tips:
* Stay hydrated and drink plenty of fluids.
* Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing.
* Reduce time spent outdoors or stay in the shade.
* Never leave people or pets unattended in vehicles.
* Use sunscreen if going to the coast or the pool.
