When you think of San Francisco, you think of clammy, foggy weather stuck forever in the 50s and 60s. But on Friday, the City by the Bay soared to an astonishing 106 degrees, its hottest temperature in recorded history.
The National Weather Service forecast office serving the Bay Area called the record “incredible.”
San Francisco smashed their all-time max temperature record today, 9/1/2017, with a reading 106. The previous record was 103 in 2000. pic.twitter.com/V86fYQe2jA
— Jan Null (@ggweather) September 2, 2017
At San Francisco International Airport, the mercury touched 104, a record for the month of September but just short of the all-time high of 106 set June 14, 1961.
These temperatures are more than 30 degrees above normal. The average high on Sept. 1 in San Francisco is just 70 degrees.
To prepare a population not accustomed to these kinds of temperatures, the Weather Service hoisted an Excessive Heat Warning for the city and offered the following advice:
Take the necessary precautions to beat the heat: drink plenty of fluids and refrain from alcohol and caffeine, limit outdoor activities during the hottest time of the day, wear light-colored clothing, and wear a hat. If you don`t have air conditioning, consider going to a community cooling center, a shopping center/mall, a library, or movie theater.
San Francisco joined other locations in the surrounding region setting records Friday:
NEW RECORDS SET FOR THE DAY, MONTH AND ALL TIME!#CAheatwave pic.twitter.com/vjLPUOs8P6
— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) September 2, 2017
The heat came as a result of a bulging area of high pressure or heat dome parked over the Golden State. Another hot day was forecast in the Bay Area on Saturday, with highs expected to climb into the mid-90s.
A slow cooling trend is expected to commence Sunday and next week, with temperatures slipping into the 80s and then the 70s.
San Francisco’s new all-time high temperature joins quite a few other locations which have established major heat milestones since May:
- In July, Death Valley, Calif. endured the hottest month ever recorded on Earth.
- In late July, Shanghai registered its highest temperature in recorded history, 105.6 degrees (40.9 Celsius).
- In mid-July, Spain posted its highest temperature ever recorded when Córdoba airport (in southern Spain) hit 116.4 degrees (46.9 Celsius).
- In late June, Ahvaz, Iran, soared to 128.7 degrees Fahrenheit (53.7 Celsius) — that country’s all-time hottest temperature.
- In late May, the western Pakistani town of Turbat hit 128.3 degrees (53.5 Celsius), tying the all-time highest temperature in that country and the world-record temperature for May, according to Weather Underground meteorologist Jeff Masters.