Hot Weekend Ahead for the Bay Area With Summerlike Weather Forecast

Forecasters expect summerlike heat to sizzle the Bay Area with temperatures 15 to 20 degrees above average by the end of the weekend.

After some rain across the region earlier this week, a growing ridge of high pressure will cause the warm-up by pushing cooler ocean air farther out over the Pacific. As a result, temperatures along the Central Coast and parts of the East Bay, South Bay and North Bay could teeter close to 100 degrees by Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

San Francisco could reach into the 80s by Monday, which is about 15 degrees above normal for the time of year, said Joe Merchant, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Bay Area office.

“It’s basically a little more gradual through the end of the workweek, [then] a bigger jump through the weekend and into the beginning of next week,” Merchant said.

Thursday and Friday will be marked by windy conditions, especially in the North Bay, allowing the weak ridge to develop further and drive “Karl the Fog” out of many parts.

“It’ll stay warm to hot, especially inland away from the influence of the marine layer, into the beginning of next week,” Merchant said.

The service expects a minor heat risk for people sensitive to hotter temperatures through Saturday, and a moderate heat risk Sunday into Monday, especially for inland areas. At this time, Merchant said, his office has not issued a heat advisory, but “it’s possible by the beginning of next week.”

“If you have any outdoor plans, be prepared with sunscreen and take breaks in the shade or get into air conditioning,” Merchant said. “Also, people going to the beach for relief from the heat should anticipate cold water. Just because the air is warming up doesn’t mean the water is warming up.”

Some areas could get close to setting daily record highs early next week. Merchant said the NWS is expecting above-normal temperatures at least through the middle of the month, before a potential minor cooldown.

“Monday is going to be the hottest day,” Merchant said. “We will have a nice drop by the middle of next week.”