A heat wave that has led to record-setting temperatures in the Bay Area for mid-March continued Friday, though slightly cooler weather is expected to arrive by the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
Record temperatures were recorded around the Bay Area on Friday at the end of a heat wave that has lasted several days, according to the National Weather Service. As of noon Friday, locations including downtown San Francisco, San Jose, the Oakland Museum of California, Redwood City, and Salinas had all broken their daily record for high temperatures on the date of March 20, forecasters with the weather service said. On Thursday high temperature records were set at the same locations, with the addition of Richmond.
A weather balloon launched about 5,000 feet above Oakland on Friday recorded a temperature that set the record at that altitude for not only the month of March, but April as well, the weather service’s San Francisco Bay Area office announced on social media.
High temperatures were expected to reach the mid 90s in some inland locations and the 80s along the coast Friday. The weather service issued a Heat Advisory for the Bay Area and Central Coast earlier this week, set to expire at 8 p.m. Friday.
A gradual cooling trend is expected to start Saturday, with highs in the mid 80s inland expected into next week, temperatures that are still above season averages, forecasters said. Forecasts are for a drop of 5-10 degrees in high temperatures around the region on Saturday and an additional 5 degrees or so on Sunday, although temperatures going into next week — in the mid-to-high-70s during the day — are expected to still be above normal for this time of year, according to the weather service.