Heat wave bakes Bay Area, California for 4th day; hottest temperatures still to come
On Day 4 of a dangerous heat wave gripping the Bay Area and California Friday, temperatures were expected slightly higher and forecasters warned the highest temperatures are still in store for inland areas.
The National Weather Service said the hottest day of the heat wave will be Saturday, with temperatures in the northern Napa and Sonoma counties and far eastern Contra Costa County approaching 110 degrees and temperatures in southern Monterey County pushing the 115-118 mark.
The expected highs Saturday will be 20-25 degrees above normal for this time of year, The Weather Service said the region still has several days of upper 90s and low 100s to go following Saturday's heat wave peak as high pressure will prevails through the middle of next week.
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Current Excessive Heat Warnings for inland areas and Heat Advisories for coastal areas remained in place, most until the evening of July 10. Red Flag Warnings for the Marin and Sonoma coastal ranges expired Friday morning but remained in place across the North Bay interior mountains, East Bay hills, Santa Cruz Mountains, Santa Lucia Mountains, San Benito County, and the southern Salinas Valley until 9 p.m. Saturday.
The record heat, low humidity and gusty winds were fueling more than a dozen wildfires across California, one of the latest in Mariposa County where the French Fire has burned close to 900 acres as of Friday morning and forced mandatory evacuations. Meanwhile, the Thompson Fire in Butte County has burned nearly 3,800 acres as of Friday morning, and while evacuation orders have been lifted for most residents, 2,800 people are still out of their homes.
The Weather Service warned the dangerous heat conditions will spread up the West Coast as it intensifies and heat watches and warnings have been issued for parts of Nevada, Arizona, Oregon and Washington.
