Bay Area Extreme Heat Watch Brings 90s by Mother's Day

The Bay Area is under an extreme heat watch as a building area of high pressure brings warmer weather starting Wednesday, with temperatures reaching the 80s and 90s by Mother’s Day on Sunday. The warmup follows a cool, unsettled start to the week and keeps the pattern in place into early next week.

Mother’s Day Sunday

Temperatures are expected to run 12 to 22 degrees above normal during the warmup. By Sunday, the Bay Area should be back in the 80s and 90s, after cooler weather earlier in the week.

Coastal areas will offer some relief with clear conditions. The public should still be looking out for rip currents and sneaker waves.

Central Valley Heat

The hotter air pushes inland fastest. By Monday, parts of the Central Valley could approach the upper 90s, and Modesto may hit 100 degrees.

Dry, northerly winds could boost fire danger across parts of the state as the hot pattern continues into early next week. JD Bergeron, chief executive officer of International Bird Rescue, has also described The Blob as starving birds, adding another sign of the strain warmer ocean conditions can put on wildlife.

High Pressure Shift

The change starts with a building area of high pressure, which is driving the temperature rise after the earlier cool and unsettled stretch. For Bay Area residents, the most immediate shift is a fast move from mild weather to summerlike heat by the weekend.

People near the coast may get some relief from clearer skies, but inland communities face the sharpest rise and the highest fire danger. That is the part of the state where the heat should be watched most closely as Sunday turns into Monday.