Northern California is about to heat up, dry out.
Memorial Day weekend to usher in five days of warm weather
Summer doesn’t officially begin for another month. But this weekend and into early next week, it’s going to feel a lot like summertime outside.
After a string of mild temperatures recently and even a few rainy days, Northern California is about to heat up and dry out, with temperatures in the Bay Area expected to climb from the 80s today to the 90s on Memorial Day to 100 degrees in a few inland areas by Tuesday and Wednesday, forecasters say.
“This will be the hottest that we’ve seen so far this year,” said
Rick Canepa, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Monterey. “All the precautions will be in effect. Keep properly hydrated, stay in the shade, look after the elderly and pets, that sort of thing. There’s some risk to sensitive populations.”
The cause: a ridge of high pressure that will park over California
until at least Wednesday, forecasters say.
“It’s going to cut off the sea breeze and squish out the marine layer,” said Jan Null, a meteorologist with Golden Gate Weather Services in Half Moon Bay. “That’s our natural air conditioning. When it goes away, we warm up.”
Temperatures today are expected to stay in the 70s along the coast and hit highs in the mid80s in Santa Clara County and the East Bay. On Sunday, they will reach the high 80s in the South and East Bay, rising again Monday to the mid-90s in those areas, before topping out Wednesday at a forecasted 95 in San Jose, 98 in Livermore, 100 in Concord and 104 in Stockton and Modesto.
The warming trend should ease starting Thursday, forecasters say, with some chance of rain
early the following week. Even during the hottest day, Wednesday, temperatures on the coast will stay significantly lower, in the high 70s and low 80s.
“People are going to want to get outside,” Null said. “You are going to have issues at beaches, because parking lots are still closed at most coastal beaches.”
To be sure, beach access around the Bay Area remains limited because of the coronavirus pandemic and county health officers’ efforts to reduce the risk of large crowds that could spread COVID-19. County officials cannot stop residents from traveling among counties. But rangers and police officers along the coast can — and have been — writing tickets for illegal parking, accessing closed parks, congregating in crowds and other violations.
The availability of beaches varies by location.
All beaches remain closed in Sonoma County. In Marin and San Francisco counties, many are open, including Stinson, Muir and Ocean beaches. But the parking lots are closed to encourage only local visitors who can walk or bicycle. Many San Mateo County beaches are open, but only for running, walking and water sports; and parking lots are closed.
In Santa Cruz County, all beaches are closed from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, with violators subject to a $1,000 fine, although crossing the beach to surf or swim at anytime is allowed. In Monterey County, most state parks, including beaches in Big Sur, are closed entirely, although boat ramps opened this week at Monterey and Moss Landing harbors.
On Thursday, Santa Cruz County Public Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel said large beach crowds are “perhaps our greatest danger” in a county that so far has seen only two deaths from COVID-19.
“We’re concerned about tourism during these warmer summer months, which traditionally bring huge crowds into the Santa Cruz area,” she said. “We considered closing the beaches altogether during this Memorial Day weekend, but in consultation with law enforcement and city leaders, we made the decision to continue as is.
“If it goes really well, we may be able to keep things open for the Fourth of July,” she added.
Rain over the past week significantly reduced fire danger. It did little, however, to boost a disappointing winter season rainfall total for Northern California. For the first time in nearly 20 years, Los Angeles received more rain than San Francisco this winter and spring — 14.83 inches, compared with 11.22.
From May 16 through Thursday, San Francisco received just 0.18 inch of rain, San Jose 0.08 and Oakland 0.49 during the rare May storms. By contrast, the rain soaked higher elevations, dumping 2.4 inches in Big Sur and on the slopes of Loma Prieta in the Santa Cruz Mountains, 2 inches on Mount Tamalpais in Marin County and 4 inches near Shasta Lake and Lake Oroville farther to the north.
“For the year, L.A. is right at normal for rainfall,” Null said. “We’re at half of normal in the Bay Area. They’ve been getting rain events that have been going around us.”