A “spare the air” warning for the Bay Area and a heat warning for the Peninsula coast were extended through Sunday, and temperatures rose to record highs Saturday in Oakland and San Rafael, the Bay Area Air Management District and National Weather said Service announced on Saturday.

Homeless residents, elderly residents, children and pets are at risk of heat-related illnesses, with those lacking effective cooling or adequate hydration at greatest risk, the weather service statement said.

“Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun and check on relatives and neighbors. Under no circumstances should small children and pets be left unattended in vehicles,” says the warning, which also recommends scheduling strenuous outdoor activities for early morning or late evening.

The warning initially warned of high temperatures from the East Bay, South Bay and eastern San Mateo County south to the Santa Cruz Mountains, southern Salinas Valley, interior Monterey County and San Benito County.

On Saturday evening, National Weather Service meteorologist Dial Hoang said Sunday temperatures across the region would likely peak in the afternoon, reaching around 99 degrees in San Jose, 96 in Palo Alto, 91 in Oakland, 102 in Walnut Creek and Concord and would reach 88 degrees in downtown San Francisco.

Less extreme temperatures are expected in Santa Cruz: around 85 degrees downtown and cooler on the beach, in the mid to upper 70 degrees. At Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek in the Santa Cruz Mountains, temperatures will likely rise above 101 degrees, Hoang said.

Later Sunday afternoon and evening, the South Bay and Peninsula could cool slightly due to an onshore flow of cooler air from the coast, Hoang said.

On Saturday, the mercury skyrocketed near downtown Oakland at the Oakland Museum, surpassing the all-time high of 96 degrees set in 1987, the National Weather Service reported. San Rafael reached 106, dramatically breaking the previous record of 94 set in 2014. The 99 degrees in Redwood City matched the city’s record set in 1987, the weather service reported, noting that the records were tentative and still being confirmed would have to be.

San Rafael is expected to cool down on Sunday, with highs near 100 degrees in the afternoon, the weather service’s Hoang said.

Temperature records previously set in 1985 were broken Thursday in San Jose (101 degrees) and Salinas (99). On the same day, King City (103 degrees) broke a record set in 1980. San Jose broke previous records again Friday with temperatures of 98 degrees, two degrees higher than the previous record of 96 degrees set in 1987.

The “spare the air” alert issued from Saturday to Sunday, warning that public ozone pollution is expected to reach unhealthy levels, is the 14th this year and the sixth in a week.

The heat wave is expected to ease in the coming week. “We start to feel some relief on Monday,” Hoang said, adding that temperatures are expected to return to seasonal normals by Tuesday.

A high in the mid-90s is expected for San Jose on Monday, with Morgan Hill, Gilroy, Walnut Creek and Concord reaching the upper 90s. Temperatures in the high 80s are expected in Oakland.

Originally published: October 5, 2024 at 2:37 p.m