Sweltering Heat Wave Embraces Bay Area For 8th Day
PLEASANTON (CBS SF) – For the first time in history, the Alameda County Fair cancelled a day of horse racing Thursday as temperatures began soaring toward triple digits.
The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for some Bay Area counties and an excessive heat warning for the others.
Forecasters said temperatures east of the Caldecott Tunnel could soar as high as 108 degrees or warmer.
By 9 a.m. Livermore already had reached 93 degrees – 25 degrees warmer than the city as at the same time on Wednesday. The record for the day in Livermore is 110 set back during the scalding summer of 1961.
While it will be hot, forecasters were not predicting that many local records would tumble.
San Rafael's record temperature for the day is 99 set in 2006 and the forecast for Thursday was for a high of 96.
In Wine County, Napa was predicted to top triple digits at 101 but fall short of the record for the day of 105 set in 1981.
San Francisco was also expected to fall short with a high of 86 forecasted and a record of 97 set in 1989.
Thursday would be the eighth day of the current heat wave before relief would arrive in the form of fog from the Pacific Ocean. However, the stifling temperatures have already proven to be deadly.
Santa Clara County health officials on Wednesday confirmed that two San Jose residents died on Monday due to heat-related conditions. The Santa Clara County medical examiner's office identified the two victims as 72-year-old Dennis Young and 87-year-old Setsu Jordan.
Both people died on Monday, June 19, during one of the warmest days of the recent hot spell.
"It is tragic when someone dies of hyperthermia, since in most every case it could have been prevented," said Dr. Michelle Jorden with the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office.
The stalled high pressure system has also taken its toll on the Bay Area's air quality. Regional air quality officials declared a Spare the Air smog alert foe Thursday.
The alert, the fourth for smog so far in 2017, is the result of light winds and triple-digit temperatures in the region that were expected to combine with vehicle exhaust to create unhealthy air quality, Bay Area Air Quality Management District officials said.
Air district officials called for Bay Area residents to take public transit or find other ways to avoid driving alone, and said outdoor exercise should only be done in the early morning hours when ozone concentrations are lower.
"More extreme temperatures from climate change and the resulting air quality issues are a reminder of the changes we can all make to reduce our carbon footprint and improve the air we breathe," air district executive officer Jack Broadbent said in a statement.
Residents can find out when a Spare the Air alert is issued by registering at www.sparetheair.org, calling (800) HELP-AIR, downloading the Spare the Air smartphone app or connecting with Spare the Air on Facebook or Twitter.
