Bay Area Sweltering Under Record Heat Wave
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A high pressure system parked in the Pacific off the Northern California coast Tuesday turned the heat up on the Bay Area, sending temperatures soaring towards record levels.
At 8:30 a.m., it was already 82 degrees in Half Moon Bay along the Santa Mateo County coastline -- well above what would be expected on a late October morning.
Forecasters said the record 84 degree reading in Monterey set back during the a 2002 heat wave would tumble with 90 degrees predicted as the high by the end of the day. Same may be true for Santa Rosa and Hayward.
Fortunately, forecasters said there would not be red flag fire conditions in the Bay Area including the wildfire-ravaged wine country.
While it was sweltering in the Bay Area, Southern California was gripped by stifling Santa Anita conditions. A red flag fire advisory had been issued for the area.
The National Weather Service said that northeast winds would gust to 40 to 60 mph over much of Ventura and Los Angeles Counties through Wednesday. The winds should be strongest Tuesday with isolated wind damage and power outages possible.
On Monday, records tumbled throughout Southern California.
The weather service said downtown Los Angeles reached 102 degrees just before 2 p.m. on Monday, breaking the old record of 98 for the date and topping out 24 degrees above normal.
An updated forecast raised expected temperatures for the first game of the World Series at Dodger Stadium by a few degrees. The weather service said it would be 100 degrees at 4 p.m., dipping just a bit to 97 at game time and still a warm 82 at 8 p.m.
"It will be hot! Bring lots of water to the game," the weather service tweeted.
Extra firefighters were on duty in Southern California with the risk of wildfires way up while about 100 schools in San Diego were set to close early to keep students out of stifling classrooms.
Los Angeles fire crews jumped on several small fires that erupted along the north edge of the city as gusts blasted through nearby mountains. One fire brought morning rush hour traffic to a halt on the State Route 118 freeway until it was extinguished.
About 50 miles to the east Riverside County crews aided by helicopters battled a lumber yard fire that spread over several acres. Also in the inland region, a wind-driven fire disrupted traffic near the interchange of State Route 210 and Interstate 15.
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