If a weekend of high temperatures made you long for cooler climes, consider the plight of the poor weather forecasters who in some case struggled to keep track of the numbers as the mercury climbed.
The weather got so hot in the Bay Area on Sunday, the National Weather Service at one point said its radar equipment on Mount Umunhum near San Jose suffered from technical difficulties and had to be shut down for rest.
“The radar has been struggling due to hot weather, so it’s taking a break,” the agency tweeted, Sunday morning. “Our technicians are aware and working on a solution to the problem.”
The NWS said it was able to turn the radar back on periodically Sunday, but later tweeted that it would remain offline “for preventative measures” for the remainder of the night.
The temperature peaked in San Jose at 91 Sunday, though no so far away in Livermore, temperatures hit 102. Stockton set a record for July 16 at 109 degrees.
Cooling-off period will be brief
The Bay Area’s weather drama has been taking a breather to start the week as the region’s heat wave dissipates and an unusual thunderstorm pattern heads east. But don’t get too used to it, weather forecasters warn.
Daytime highs for the inland regions began to simmer down Monday to the 80s and 90s — a trend that was expected to remain in place through Wednesday. But high temperatures are likely to start picking back up again on Thursday, said NWS meteorologist Brook Bringaman.
“We’re definitely getting a bit of a reprieve. All across our forecast area we’re going to see a downward trend in temperatures,” Bringaman said.
“Once again across the interior, in the North Bay, East Bay and South Bay, we’ll see 90s with the potential for triple-digit heat as you get closer to the Central Valley.”
Brook Bringaman, National Weather Service meteorologist
The cooling trend was preceded Sunday evening by unsettled meteorological conditions, including a large amount of moisture coming up from Baja California that wrapped around a high-pressure system.
Those conditions collided with hot air rising from ground-level, which led to atmospheric instability and some isolated thunderstorm activity, Bringaman said.
Lightning strikes were observed off the North Bay coast and throughout parts of Sonoma and Napa counties from about 8 to 10 p.m.
Most of the rainfall evaporated before it hit the ground, but a few places including the Livermore and Santa Rosa airports reported “a little spritzing” of rain, Bringaman said.
That system moved off to the northeast, bringing unsettled weather to the Sierra Nevada throughout Monday.
After Wednesday, temperatures will start to rise.
“Once again across the interior, in the North Bay, East Bay and South Bay, we’ll see 90s with the potential for triple-digit heat as you get closer to the Central Valley,” she said.
Things will stay cooler along the coastal areas and in San Francisco, where the summer’s typical marine influence will keep temperatures largely in the upper 50s and mid 60s, with a few low 70s here and there through midweek.