Temperatures break file in San Francisco Bay Space. How scorching will it get this week?
The San Francisco Bay Area was sunny over the weekend, and the dry and unusually warm conditions are expected to last most of the work week, with afternoon temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above normal, the National Weather Service said.
The sunny weather is the result of a high pressure ridge stretching across California and the southwestern desert. The ridge prevents storms from entering California from the Pacific Ocean.
“It acts like a blocking mechanism and directs all of the moisture into the Pacific Northwest,” said Sarah McCorkle, a meteorologist with the Meteorological Service.
A temperature gauge at the Oakland Museum peaked at 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 70 degrees on the same day in 2002.
San Francisco International Airport recorded a high of 70 on Saturday, following the same daily record from 1995.
A new high temp record (73 degrees) was set in Downtown Oakland today and 2 records were set equal (SFO and Salinas Arpt). The above average temps will last all week. #Cawx pic.twitter.com/yzyuFuVItS
– NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) November 29, 2021
Afternoon temperatures are expected to stay above average through Thursday, with afternoon highs between the mid-60s and mid-70s. Wednesday is likely to be the hottest day of the week. San Francisco is projected to peak at 68, Oakland 69, San Jose 73, and Santa Rosa 74. In the south of the Bay Area, Monterey County could see 80s in the inland valleys.
While the weather is great if you want to dine and hike al fresco, it’s not what the region needs in a drought right now. The Bay Area got off to a wet start to the rainy season, with a moisture-rich atmospheric river that dropped record rainfall in October, but Matt Mehle, a forecaster for the weather service, told KCBS that the benefits will wear off quickly if the dry weather persists.
From Monday through December 6th or 7th there was no sign of rain and the likelihood of significant rainfall remained low.
