After days of record-breaking temperatures, weather officials are warning that California’s unusual October heat wave is expected to peak again this weekend, with millions facing another round of dangerous heat through Monday.
Temperatures are expected to remain 10 to 15 degrees above average for this time of year, with much of the state under a significant heat risk — with the Bay Area and inland Southern California classified as major to extreme heat risk. The National Weather Service defines extreme heat risk as “rare and/or long-duration extreme heat with little to no overnight relief, likely to affect “anyone without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration.”
Across the majority of the Bay Area, officials warned of highs up to 105 Friday and Saturday, with even coastal areas reaching up to 95 degrees. The weather service warned that the hot conditions there could have “life-threatening impacts or major impacts to commerce and travel.”
The unseasonable heat has become a concern for the San Francisco 49ers game Sunday at 1 p.m., ensuring that fans and players at Levi’s Stadium will be out in the heat of the day.
Highs in Santa Clara are expected to soar into the mid 90s Sunday, according to Roger Gass, a National Weather Service meteorologist for the Bay Area. An analysis from SFGate found that Sunday’s game will likely be the hottest ever in the stadium, which has drawn concerns about uncomfortable heat — if not dangerous — since the stadium opened in 2014, as the majority of seats are positioned in the direct sun.
“We’re expecting [highs] anywhere from 93 to 96 degrees on Sunday,” Gass said. “It’s among the warmest” for this time of year in Santa Clara.
Earlier this week, the San José Mineta International Airport — the closest climate site to Levi’s Stadium — hit 100 degrees over three consecutive days for the first time, among a slew of hot temperatures records set this week.
Not far away in Mountain View, Stanford’s football team will kick off Saturday against Virginia Tech, where highs are expected to reach into the mid-90s.
“We are most concerned for people without adequate access to cooling,” Gass said. “Take frequent breaks in the shade if possible, don’t over exert yourself by any means.”
Heat deaths have become a growing crisis across California and the U.S. as climate change has made heat events more frequent, more persistent and more dangerous. Extreme heat has killed more Americans on average over the last three decades than hurricanes, floods and tornadoes combined, according to the National Weather Service.
Earlier this week, five students at a school cross country meet in Riverside County required medical attention after experiencing “general weakness,” including three who were taken to the hospital for further evaluation, according to the Riverside County Fire Department, which responded to the scene.
In June, a woman in San Diego County died while hiking on an unusually warm day, a death that local officials told NBC 7 San Diego appeared to be heat-related.
This weekend, Southern California’s coastal areas are mostly excluded from the major heat concerns, but in the Los Angeles and San Diego county mountains, valleys and foothills, weather officials warned temperatures up to 108 are possible from Saturday through Monday, creating “a high risk for dangerous heat illness for anyone, especially for the very young, the very old, those without air conditioning, and those active outdoors.”
The hottest temperatures across the state are forecast for the Coachella Valley and Palm Desert region, where highs could reach up to 112 this weekend.
Officials across the state have opened cooling centers for anyone without air conditioning and are working to increase awareness about the signs of heat illnesses.
“It’s important for Californians to continue taking action to protect themselves, including checking in on friends and neighbors, who can be vulnerable to heat when they are alone,” Amy Palmer, a spokesperson for California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said in a statement.