Hot temperatures from first summer heat wave roast San Francisco Bay Area residents
The hot weather arrived with a vengeance Tuesday, with inland parts of the San Francisco Bay Area cooking under temperatures approaching 100 degrees.
Livermore was one of three cities expected to see the hottest temperatures of the Bay Area's first heat wave of the year, according to the National Weather Service.
Livermore and Cloverdale could see a high of 97 degrees on Wednesday. Concord could see the same high temperature both Tuesday and Wednesday.
"This is the first wave of heat that we've seen and it changes our conditions," said Heather Marques, the division chief of medical services at the Alameda County Fire Department. "If people are going to be outside, make sure you take the simple precautions: protect your skin, hydrate your body, and make sure that kids, pets, and elderly are taken care of."
While most people were trying to stay cool and safe, one Livermore man is obsessed with the enjoying the sun. 70-year-old Michael Saliba laid out for hours sunbathing by Shadow Cliffs Lake as most people were doing their best to stay in the shade.
"I never wear sunglasses and I never use sunscreen," Saliba said. "'I'll be here all three days [of the heat wave] if I can. Just depends on the workload, then cool off in the water."
The avid sun worshiper admitted that he has gotten sunburn before.
"I got burnt once. In southern Florida, in the Keys," he remembered. "Man that hurt. Man that hurt bad."
Needless to say, Saliba's behavior was not the approach recommended by health officials, though he noted that he hydrates frequently, bringing an ice chest full of water, iced tea, and fruit with him to his sunbathing session.
"Do the right thing for your body. Not everyone has the pigmentation I have. I was blessed with that," he said. "Other people need to use sunscreen and stay out of the sun. Just be smart."
Other Livemore residents were taking more precautions on the first day of this week's heat wave.
"I plan my days around it," explained Rodger Griesemer, a Livermore resident out for an early afternoon walk on Tuesday. "Even if it's the 60 degrees outside, I have to protect myself from the sun."
Andy Brown, who's been a fitness instructor for 18 years, said he keeps high temperatures in mind when planning workouts for his clients.
"Sometimes, I'll have to push clients [to] different times, do modifications for the different exercises. Just because I don't want any heat exhaustion, things like that," Brown said. "Hydration is key. Obviously, it's very warm. Shaded areas are ideal, just so they're comfortable at the same time [and] I would moderate."
"Just slow down," Marques said. "In the heat of the day, just take it easy, calm down, go inside, and take a rest. Don't over exert yourself."
Local first responders said one smart approach is to stay inside as much as possible during the heat wave. Cooling centers are being opened in Livermore and across the region. Most are open until 9 p.m. every night through Thursday, when the heat advisory will expire.
