Bay Area weather: Excessive-heat warning still in effect

Summer has decided to go out on a hot streak in the Bay Area, as the National Weather Service (NWS) continued an Excessive-Heat Warning for much of the region Monday, warning of triple-digit temperatures that put the “entire population at risk” in parts of the East Bay and South Bay.

NWS warns:

Prolonged exposure to these temperatures will increase the risk of heat related illnesses, particularly for vulnerable populations. Pets and livestock may also require extra care through the warm weather. Hot, dry weather will increase risk of human sourced wildfire.

The forecast predicts 77 degree weather in San Francisco, while Oakland, the Peninsula, and other places near the bay can expect temperatures around 85 to 95 degrees.

Inland areas near and around Contra Costa County and near the Southern Salinas Valley may see thermometers break 112.

A heat risk map issued today marks San Francisco and most of Marin County as “low risk,” meaning that heat poses a danger only to those particularly sensitive or vulnerable.

Oakland and San Jose sit in “moderate risk” areas.

Further inland temperatures leap up into “very high risk” territory. The entire population in or near Sacramento should take extra steps to safeguard from the heat.

The service says that “heat is one of the leading weather-related killers in the United States, resulting in hundreds of fatalities each year and even more heat-related illnesses,” although the agency recorded only 94 such deaths in 2016 and only three in California.

By contrast, 50 such deaths happened in Nevada.

Still, that’s no reason to take the warnings lightly. The Center For Disease Control notes, “Older adults, the very young, and people with mental illness and chronic diseases are at highest risk” for heat-related illnesses but that anyone can be affected when triple digit temperatures rear their heads.

Image by Bruce Rolff

Increased blood pressure, dizziness, nausea, confusion, red skin, and loss of consciousness may be symptoms of heat stroke, the most dangerous of all heat-related conditions.

Less pronounced symptoms may indicate heat exhaustion, a less dangerous but more common problem. Muscle pain while doing difficult work may be heat cramps. The CDC says to consult a doctor if even minor symptoms last more than an hour.

• Excessive Heat Warning [NWS]
• Heat Risk Map
• Heat Deaths, 2016
• Extreme Heat [CDC]
• Possible Heat Stroke Symptoms [CDC]