Excessive heat warnings and heat advisories have been issued for parts of the Bay Area as several cities approach peak recorded temperatures.
Alexis Clouser, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said a high-pressure system is moving over the region, resulting in very hot temperatures. An excessive heat warning for interior cities was put in effect until Tuesday. A heat advisory was also announced for coastal cities surrounding San Francisco Bay until Tuesday, but the advisory in San Francisco is expected to end Thursday.
Clouser said temperatures in several Bay Area cities are forecast to either nearly reach or exceed record highs. San Rafael is expected to hit 100 degrees, which would break the 2001 record high of 99. In Oakland, temperatures are expected to hit 92, just one degree cooler than the record high of 93, which was set in 2001. The high in Livermore could reach 108, just under the previous record of 109, which was set in 2001.
San Jose is expected to reach a high of 98, and downtown San Francisco’s temperature is forecast to peak at a mild 83. The lows Wednesday night are expected to dip into the 60s and mid-70s in interior areas.
Clouser advised people without air conditioning to try to stay cool by going to cooling centers. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority said it would be offering free rides on buses and the light rail to designated cooling centers in the county until Sunday, July 7.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District also extended a warning of unhealthy air quality for the Santa Clara Valley and East Bay. The cause is increased ozone, or smog, which can result in respiratory irritation, reduced lung function, asthma aggravation and lung lining inflammation and damage. The air quality may be especially unhealthy for sensitive groups, including children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and lung diseases.
Six new wildfires also sprang up across Northern California and the Central Coast on Tuesday, and continued to burn Wednesday morning.
The largest fire among them is the Thompson fire, which is threatening 12,000 structures in Butte County. It has burned through 3,000 acres of land right outside of Oroville and is 0% contained as of Wednesday morning.
Cal Fire-Butte County Public Information Officer Rick Carhart told the Chico Enterprise-Record that 28,000 people are under evacuation orders and that initial reports are that four structures have burned. He said more than 1,400 firefighters are working to contain the blaze and that four of them have suffered minor injuries.
The Airline Fire in San Benito County has burned through about 1,150 acres, and it is 55% contained. There was one confirmed injury related to the fire.
As of Wednesday morning, the Moccasin Fire in El Dorado County burned 51 acres and is 25% contained. Cal Fire said that evacuation orders and warnings remain in place as the crews continue fire suppression.
The Toll Fire in Napa County also burned around 41 acres and was 20% contained as of Wednesday morning. According to Cal Fire’s last update, firefighters had stayed on the scene last night “constructing and fortifying control lines and mopping up.”
The Denverton Fire was 0% contained by Wednesday morning, according to Cal Fire. The fire burned through 25 acres in Solano County along Creek Road and Denverton Road.
Lastly, in Shasta County, the Yolla Fire has grown to 19 acres and is 70% contained. The fire is located off of Cottonwood Creek Road.
“Fire resources are making good progress despite steep and rugged terrain,” Cal Fire said on its fire incidents page.
Pacific Gas & Electric also announced several Public Safety Power Shutoffs in Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Napa, Shasta, Solano, Sonoma, Tehama and Yolo counties due to high winds and dry conditions. No power shutoffs are expected for the rest of the week after Wednesday.