Bay Area Heat Wave Forecast: Temps Near 90 For Some This Week

SAN FRANCISCO — Parts of the Bay Area are likely to see temperatures that would be unusual even deep into summer, with new forecasts showing a fair chance that a few communities could break into the 90s.

Tuesday will kick off the heat streak as a ridge of high pressure builds across the West, which will keep things toasty through the end of the month. The National Weather Service is especially focused on the midweek timeframe when afternoon highs will run 10 to 20 degrees above normal across the board.

Most inland areas can expect temps ranging from the mid-70s to mid-80s, but the models are growing increasingly confident that some places will hit 90 at least once this week.

"Wednesday and Thursday look particularly warm with highs in the upper 60s to lower 70s along the coast and mid-to-upper 80s inland," NWS Bay Area forecasters said Monday. "Hot spots will be the East Bay valleys, such as areas around Concord, and the South Bay where there is about a 30 percent chance of reaching the 90 degree mark Thursday."

Forecasters warned the soaring spring temperatures will present a moderate heat risk for a large portion of the Bay Area, impacting animals and people who are heat-sensitive or lack access to good cooling systems.

Fortunately, there will be relief from the heat at night as lows tumble back into the 50s.

As AccuWeather reports, the unseasonable warmth will accelerate snowmelt, which could lead to rising rivers across the Golden State and bring renewed flood concerns. Earlier in the month, AccuWeather meteorologists noted the Sierra snowpack remained between 200 and 300 percent above average. The resulting runoff will be two to three times higher than in a normal year.

In the near term, the Bay will shave off a few degrees Friday as the ridge weakens, dipping back to the low 70s in San Francisco but staying in the high 80s for much of the North Bay, East Bay and South Bay. The cooling will continue through the weekend — while staying pleasant — and clear skies linger on as far as the forecast can see.

The tides may turn over the first week of May when climate outlooks favor cooler and wetter weather making its return throughout the Golden State.