Heat Watch Issued For Interior Bay Area This Weekend

BAY AREA (CBS SF) -- The National Weather Services has issued an excessive heat watch for much of the interior Bay Area for the weekend with temperatures expected to peak between 95 and 105 degrees.

Parts of Santa Clara, Alameda, San Benito, Monterey and Contra Costa counties are all under the heat advisory from 11 a.m. Saturday to 11 p.m. Sunday. Other places across the Bay can also expect higher than usual temps.

Besides the above-average high temperatures, temperatures overnight are expected not to drop below 70 to 80 degrees.

A heat advisory means that a prolonged period of hot temperatures is expected and will create a situation in which heat illnesses are possible, such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Cal Fire also tweeted out advice about how to reduce fire risk during the hot weekend.

High pressure building in central California from the desert Southwest will bring the warm air mass to the area.

The weather service recommends being prepared and taking action to protect yourself, others and your pets. Some steps to take include limiting strenuous outdoor activities during the hottest time of the day, not leaving children or pets in vehicles, staying in air conditioned places, drinking plenty of fluids and watching for hot pavement when walking dogs.

The most vulnerable people in heat include those who are spending lots of time outdoors, those who do not have air, conditioning, young children, the elderly, and those with chronic ailments.

Air quality officials also took the unusual step of declaring a three-day Spare the Air Alert due to sizzling temperatures expected around the region this weekend.

The high temperatures, along with light winds and exhaust from motor vehicles are expected to cause unhealthy ozone, or smog, levels in the Bay Area, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

The alerts for Friday through Sunday are the fifth, sixth and seventh Spare the Air Alerts for smog in 2019.

"The weather pattern this week continues to persist causing elevated levels of smog, so we are taking the unusual step of calling a 3-day Spare the Air alert through the weekend", said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the Air District. "We know that when we have high summer temperatures, we experience unhealthy air quality due to pollution from cars and trucks so it is important to reconsider our commuting options so we can reduce traffic and air pollution.

Air district officials warn that ozone can cause throat irritation, congestion, chest pain, trigger asthma, inflame the lining of the lungs and worsen bronchitis and emphysema.

Long-term exposure to ozone can reduce lung function. Ozone pollution is particularly harmful for young children, seniors and those with respiratory and heart conditions. When a Spare the Air Alert is issued, outdoor exercise should be done only in the early morning hours when ozone concentrations are lower.

For more information about the Air District's efforts to address climate change in the nine-county Bay Area is available at YouTube.

Residents can register for email AirAlerts at www.sparetheair.org, call 1(800) HELP-AIR, download the Spare the Air App or connect with Spare the Air on Facebook or Twitter.

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