Fog returns to San Francisco, puts a chill on record-setting heat

Wednesday afternoon brought the return of fog, cooling the coast and bay after two record-setting days of heat.

San Francisco's high temperature dropped 12 degrees from Tuesday to Wednesday, and while the cool-down wasn't as dramatic inland, it is expected to continue in coming days. 

"It's so hot at my house, I just need a little bit of breeze before I go home," Khary Dvorak - Ewell told KTVU, as he parked at the Berkeley Marina on his way home from work. 

Dvorak-Ewell simply gazed across the bay at the fog pouring in. 

"Some people call it Karl and it's making it's way here," he said, delighted. 

"It is very refreshing to see the cool air coming back through, it's like someone turned on the air conditioner."

Heat-related problems persisted Wednesday; at the State building in Oakland, the actual air conditioning continued to malfunction. 

It's been a problem all week, and administrators decided to close the entire building for the day, a move that aggravated some people who drove long distances expecting to conduct business.

"If you go inside, the building is cool inside," complained Felix Dalldorf of San Jose, "and nowhere what anyone would consider a high temperature that would impede operations."  

Monday and Tuesday's triple-digit heat triggered widespread power failures affecting tens of thousands of utility customers.

By comparison, PG&E's outage map Wednesday showed only a few lingering outages in San Francisco and the East Bay. 

The flurry of fires breaking out across the Bay Area also eased. 

Alameda County Fire conducted a controlled burn near Camp Parks in Dublin, torching several acres of grass to clear vegetation and as a training exercise, 

But the afternoon session was canceled, when weather conditions became too warm. 

At the Berkeley Marina, people seemed invigorated to be outside after the energy sapping heat. 

"Water is choppy and brown, there's whitecaps, and the wind has come back," observed Jason Yamagata, as he fished for halibut off the shore. 

He was wearing a hoodie, unthinkable just the day before. 

"I think the temperature may be ten to fifteen degrees cooler, but the wind-chill adds more, it's pulling all the heat away from you," said Yamagata.

Berkeley mom Sheralin Taylor, with daughter Auset and son Shamari, were also walking the water's edge, enjoying the cool-down. 

"A nice breeze, and the ocean smells good and fresh," said Taylor, "it's about time, and I feel like we're going to get a real summer this year."

Summer officially begins Friday June 21. 
 

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