Put away those sweaters — the heat is coming and it plans to stick around awhile.
While this weekend will be lovely, with a high of 70 Saturday, the mercury will soon rise, said Brayden Murdock, meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office.
Temperatures could reach into the mid-80s on Sunday throughout much of the East Bay hills. On Monday, temperatures are expected to tick up yet again, up to 79 in Richmond, according to weather forecasts.
“Tuesday is setting up to be the warmest day of the forecast,” Murdock said. “There’s not going to be a whole lot of ways to escape heat on Tuesday.”
Wednesday will see the start of a gradual cooldown.
High pressure will cut off winds over the coming days, allowing temperatures to rise, Murdock explained.
These conditions are unusual in mid-March; spring doesn’t technically start for another week.
“In lots of places, it’s the first time you’re going to see 80s, much less 90s, this time of year,” Murdock said. “It’s going to affect people who are sensitive to heat.”
How to stay cool
An interactive map from the National Weather Service shows the East Bay remaining at “minor” and “moderate” levels for risk of heat-related health impacts throughout the next week. These conditions mainly affect people who are sensitive to heat or exposed to it for a long period of time.
The NWS recommends staying hydrated, avoiding the sun during the hottest time of the day, and using air conditioning or fans and leaving windows open at night.
Meanwhile parts of Southern California will move into “major” heat risk territory early next week.
Where to stay cool during Richmond heat wave
Fnding shelter from the heat is easier said than done for those without air conditioning.
For the price of a movie ticket, movie theaters can offer a hot weather escape. Here are movie times at the Cinemark Century Hilltop 16.
Some folks like to cool off wading in the waves at Keller Beach at the Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline, but swimmers beware: The water quality sometimes doesn’t meet state health standards.
Many East Bay Regional Parks in west Contra Costa County are well-shaded. Like Miller/Knox, Point Pinole has the advantage of being right on the Bay. Or, the Alvarado park area of Wildcat Canyon offers plenty of shaded trails, a shaded playground and picnic tables and a shallow creek to stroll alongside.
Richmond and Contra Costa County have protocols for opening cooling centers on very hot days, but it’s unlikely the upcoming warmth will trigger that.
In shoreline communities not used to hot weather, having consecutive hot days can prove particularly challenging for sensitive populations.
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” Murdock said.
In fact, community organizations, for example in North Richmond, have been trying to secure grant funding to create “climate resiliency” centers, such as the one at Ryse Center, to provide shelter during inclement weather but were thwarted by the Trump administration. More grant money is now available.
But until there are designated spaces to go, Murdock’s advice stands.
“Have a plan to get out of the heat,” he advised. But maybe get more creative than a beach day.
Beaches can get overcrowded during hot stretches, which can obstruct water rescues, Murdock said. People also tend to forget that the bay and ocean water remain cold even during these initial warm-weather days: “You can still get cold water shock.”
Richmondside Editor Kari Hulac contributed to this report.
