Heat records set in Bay Area beating records dating back to 1922
OAKLAND, Calif. - The mercury has been through the roof this week and Bay Area residents should expect another hot one.
Heat records on Thursday were set in Livermore where temperatures hit 107 degrees, beating the old record of 1961 when it was 104 degrees.
Gilroy set a record at 106 degrees, also beating a 1961 record of 105 degrees.
Redwood City set a record at 103 degrees beating a 1945 record of 100 degrees.
And Santa Rosa set a record at 104 degrees, beating a 1922 record of 101 degrees.
KTVU meteorologist Steve Paulson that it could reach as high as 108 degrees on Friday in some inland parts of the Bay Area before it cools significantly on Saturday.
Because it's going to be so hot, Cal ISO is calling for a second day of Flex Alert warning, telling Californians to conserve energy from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke on the recent heat and power demands this week saying the state is in a better position to prevent outages.
Dangerous heat wave and drought continue to impact the western United States, placing much of the region under extreme drought conditions and in jeopardy of breaking more records.
More than 50 million Americans have been under excessive heat warnings this week, and about 40 million have experienced temperatures in the triple digits.
Heat warnings and advisories have been issued for large parts of Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico — where the city of Las Cruces opened cooling stations for residents and, particularly, the elderly and people at high risk for heat-related illness.
Heat Prevention and Safety Tips
The National Weather Service is asking those impacted by the heat wave to stay in air-conditioned buildings if possible.
Emergency physicians say they see it often when temperatures are on the rise: heatstroke. They say heatstroke, more severe than heat exhaustion, will make someone very sick, weak, and unable to walk.
"If they feel they're getting illness related to too much heat, we'd rather they come in early and have it be a false alarm because that's when we have the opportunity to treat," said Dr. Ronn Berrol, Emergency Director of Summit/Alta Bates.
While home is often a cool place to duck out from the sun, with AC handy, PG&E is asking Bay Area residents to follow the Flex Alert.
It’s also important to limit outdoor activity during the hottest part of the day — the afternoon hours.
The NWS also suggests checking in with at-risk friends, family and neighbors.
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Lastly, make sure to drink water before, during, and after working or exercising outside.
Extreme drought conditions persist
The combination of the heat, low humidity and wind gusts have increased the threat of wildfires in the West.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, exceptional and extreme drought persists in the West.
On Thursday, NOAA’s National Integrate Drought Information System reported that 33 large fires have burned 416k acres in 10 states, mostly in the West.
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"Drought + high temps can dry out soils/vegetation and increase #wildfire potential and this heat wave has broken records across the drought-stricken West," NIDIS wrote.
Thursday's fire outlook from the NWS also showed the threat for dry lightning, which could ignite fires — especially under such dry conditions.
When will the heatwave end?
The current heat wave is due to a high-pressure system expanding in the West causing temperatures to climb to record-breaking levels.
Temperatures are expected to begin to drop slightly this weekend into early next week thanks to an increase in moisture and possibly storm activity in some areas.