Heat Wave: Brentwood Wilts Under Withering Temperatures
BRENTWOOD (KPIX) -- On the edge of the Delta, Brentwood is getting scorched in this weekend's heatwave. Residents there say the feeling is a familiar one.
"It's always been hot out here. Lately it seems like it's been a little hotter, a little earlier, and a little longer than it has been before," said Brentwood local Robin Roberts. "It gets hot here, but not as much as it's been lately."
That's something a lot of people were saying as the temperature soared past 100 Friday.
"Last year, and this year, it seems like, consistently, there's more higher temperatures going on," said Cal Fujinaga as he filled up his recycled water tank.
The latest heat wave has even longtime residents, who know heat, thinking this latest round feels a little different.
"The temperature that we're hitting for this weekend, I don't think I've seen a temperature three days in a row that's above 106 degrees," said Fujinaga.
"The temperatures have been increasing here the past couple months," says Greg Lawson with the City of Brentwood. "This is actually our second opportunity to open up the calling center here at the community center."
The city activated its cooling centers, but most people just stayed home. City parks were deserted. Downtown Brentwood, normally busy on a Friday afternoon, was empty.
"I think with all the heat, it's kept everyone in by their pools, or out on the Delta or something," Roberts said. "It's usually pretty crowded down here."
"So right now, it says 104 degrees," observed David Chavez, owner of Brentwood Craft Beer & Cider. "That's really hot. Very hot."
For restaurant owners like owner Chavez, those temperatures are a bit like the pandemic in reverse.
"Everyone's patio has been a little emptier since it started getting hot, since the summer started to blaze on us," said Chavez. "So the inside is cool."
He too says the heat, along with the drought, is starting to feel uncomfortably familiar.
"The new challenge, the new norm," Chavez explained. "You also couple in all the fire danger. It's a strange time."
