The news as the temperatures in the hottest spots of the Bay Area began their climb Tuesday toward the 100-degree mark wasn’t so much that the region once again was sizzling — miserable heat has been the main order on the menu during July — but that the beginning of an extended cooling period was gearing up for an appearance.
“We’ve got an unusually deep trough that’s going to be coming through, and it’s going to hold back really most of the high pressure,” National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Merchant said. “That’s really gonna settle in, and we should have a really decent stretch of comfortable weather.”
That said, the region remained about 48 hours away from enjoying the change. The last of the uncomfortably hot weather is expected to beat down on the Bay Area for two more days, with Tuesday expected to be the hotter of the two but Wednesday not expected to be much cooler.
It’s in keeping with what has been a blazing month.
The high temperature has exceeded 100 degrees in a day 11 times this month in Brentwood and 10 times in Livermore and Concord. Morgan Hill has spent seven days over 100. San Jose has eclipsed 100 degrees twice in July and 95 degrees another four times.
It will be more of the same on Tuesday. The very hottest places were expected to reach at least 100 degrees. Brentwood was forecast to pace Contra Costa County at 106, while Livermore was predicted to do the same in Alameda County at 103. Pleasanton was forecast to reach 100, Concord and Morgan Hill were expected to get to 99 and San Jose was expected to reach 95.
Even places closer to the water were expected to run hotter than usual. San Mateo and Oakland were forecast to reach 83, Berkeley and Richmond 77 and San Francisco 74.
The temperatures in those cities will be nearly the same on Wednesday, with the figures down 3-4 degrees in each place, according to the weather service.
An excessive heat watch remained in effect until 11 p.m. for the East Bay and Eastern Santa Clara hills, as well as the San Benito Mountains and interior Monterey County. A heat advisory also was in place for parts of the North Bay, South Bay and Santa Cruz Mountains.
“Relief is coming,” Merchant said. “You just have to hang in there for a couple of more days.”
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