Summer Weather On Tap as the Bay Area Warms Up

Heat is on the horizon for the Bay Area as temperatures are expected to climb into the 70s on the coastline and upper 80s farther inland this week.

Temperatures will rise Wednesday through Friday, with highs in the 70s in San Francisco and Oakland, up to 90 degrees for interior areas such as Concord, Antioch and Fairfield, and in the 60s along the immediate shore. There will be clear skies, dry air and little to no wind over land.

After some cooling over the weekend, the heat will rise again mid-to-late next week, bringing what the National Weather Service forecasts will be the Bay Area’s warmest weather so far this year.

Folks who plan to escape the inland heat should be aware of cold gusts on the immediate coast, said Brayden Murdock, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Monterey.

“It’s going to be a bit on the rougher side because all the winds were missing on land. They’re going to be building up right along the coast and into the ocean,” he said.

The warm-up is caused by a ridge of high air pressure, which thins the coastal fog layer so the sun can burn through it. The jet stream — a fast current of air flowing from west to east around the globe — ushers in a weather pattern of “ridges” and “troughs.” Ridges are associated with high air pressure and sunny weather, while troughs bring low pressure and storms.

The pattern cycles roughly every six and a half days this time of year, which is why the warmest days will be mid-week, Murdock said.