Dangerously cold temperatures to linger in Bay Area through early Wednesday
SAN FRANCISCO -- The National Weather Service on Monday warned cold temperatures are expected to continue in the evening and early morning hours across the region through Wednesday morning.
While clear and sunny conditions were prevailing across much of the Bay Area Monday, cold temperatures were expected to return with a vengeance Monday night, with a cold and frosty Tuesday morning expected for many. Another freeze warning will go into effect starting Monday evening with near to below freezing temperatures for most of the region.
A tweet by the Bay Area office of the National Weather Service cautioned that the cold temperatures will present a danger to unsheltered individuals.
California Highway Patrol said officers found a homeless woman dead in a tent Monday morning along Interstate Highway 580 in Oakland after Sunday night's cold temperatures.
Someone called the CHP at 6:38 a.m. about a person in a blue tent along the Harrison Street off-ramp from westbound Highway 580. Officers said a preliminary investigation indicates no foul play was involved in the death.
A CHP spokesperson did not say how she may have died and it is not known if the death was weather-related.
Earlier Monday, slightly warmer than forecast temperatures led the ongoing freeze warning from the National Weather Service to be cancelled and replaced with a frost advisory for most of the Bay Area down to the Central Coast.
The frost advisory cautioned that temperatures could drop to between 20 and 30 degrees in some inland areas, creating dangerous conditions for unsheltered people and plants that can die during frost events.
That advisory expired at 9 a.m.
Residents in the Tahoe Basin and across the Sierra were also bracing for some of the coldest temperatures in a decade as the deep freeze descended on Northern California.
Over the weekend, the weather service issued a wind advisory for part of the North Bay starting Sunday afternoon into Monday afternoon with gusts of up to 70 mph are forecast at peaks.
With bone-chilling temperatures expected overnight this week, Santa Clara County has also activated its emergency cold weather plan.
The county has opened warming centers at libraries countywide during the day. At night when temperatures are expected to drop to near freezing, the county is adding roughly a hundred additional shelter beds to the 2,500 available nightly.
"It's horrible. It's unhealthy for yourself. That's why we have these warming centers," said Braemon Washington who's struggled with being homeless for much of his adult life.
And when the margin of survival is the thin membrane of a tent and a few ragged blankets, he says every degree the temperature drops make a big difference.
"It feels pretty horrible. It's depressing. It's difficult not having shelter period due to the extreme weather that we have out here," he said.
County officials say they are encouraging the homeless to take advantage of warming centers. In addition, they have outreach teams passing out blankets and clothing for homeless men and women who choose to remain in their encampments.
"They're living under tents that are tattered. They're living under tarps. They're right on the river bed. They might be sick or have a cold already. So, it's going to be a challenge. It's always been a challenge," says Pastor Scott Wagers, a longtime homeless advocate in the South Bay.
Braemon says he was recently housed, but fears for his friends facing bone-chilling temperatures with little protection.
"There are homeless people out here in the cold and some have even frozen to death," he said.
The City of San Jose opened a temporary drop-in warming center on Monday night for anyone who needs to escape the extremely cold temperatures.
The center, located at the Caritas Center, at 301 6th St, Suite 108, will remain open from 7 p.m. on Monday through 7 a.m. on Tuesday.
Sub-freezing temperatures are forecast through Wednesday in Santa Rosa, the city said.
The Caritas facility has indoor space to host up to 78 people and a covered outdoor area warmed by radiant heaters that holds an additional 12.
The center is for getting warm and charging devices, it is not a shelter and cots will not be provided. Those who are looking for sleeping shelter can receive a referral, the city said.
Unhoused residents in San Jose can also reach out to the county to find an overnight warming location bed by calling (408) 539-2105 or by emailing owlreferrals@homefirstscc.org.
Marin County has extended its emergency shelter in San Rafael through Tuesday night due to temperatures forecast to be at or below freezing, according to a release from the county.
The county will operate the shelter from 5 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. on both Monday and Tuesday evenings, at the Marin Health and Wellness Campus, 3240 Kerner Blvd., in San Rafael.
Individuals are encouraged to sign in by 8 p.m. each night.
The shelter is currently not accepting community volunteers or donations.
Marin County activates its severe weather emergency shelter when temperatures are forecast to drop below a nighttime average of 38 degrees for at least three days.
For more information on future activations and preparing for severe weather, visit www.marinhhs.org/emergency-information or call (415) 473-6100.
Devin Fehely contributed to this story.
