San Francisco breaks 150-year-old weather record for the entire month

A. heat dome has been hovering over the Bay Area for almost a month, leading to the warmest March ever recorded. National Weather Service’s The 150-year-old climate zone in downtown San Francisco is finally about to disappear rain Enter the estimate.

Low pressure from the Eastern Pacific near Washington is expected to contribute to gradual cooling early this week as temperatures drop a few degrees between Sunday and Monday, Dylan Flynn, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office, told SFGATE. Temperatures will return to seasonal averages as a cold front moves through the region Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday evening, producing roughly one-tenth of an inch of precipitation. Coastal mountains in the North Bay can see up to a quarter of an inch, and the East Bay can see only a trace or a few hundredths of an inch.

“We expect it to be a little drier inland and a little wetter on the coast,” said Flynn.

Rain is expected to hit the South Bay first before moving northward, causing light to persistent rain on Tuesday and occasional showers on Wednesday, leading to brief but heavy showers. While it’s considered mostly beneficial because it poses no risk of flooding or other impacts, Flynn warned that oil could build up on asphalt since the Bay Area hasn’t seen rain in more than 30 days. “The roads may be more slippery than you think,” he said.

This break will be short-lived, with another wave of high pressure forming on Friday and temperatures rising into the mid-to-upper 70s over the weekend. But Flynn said the rain was a welcome departure from the record-breaking heat that has meteorologists worried about the upcoming fire weather season.

Even more records were broken over the weekend. On Saturday, San Rafael reached 85 degrees, surpassing the previous record of 81 degrees set in 2018, and Redwood City reached 84 degrees, also breaking the previous record of 81 degrees set in 2018.

Other records broken or tied on Friday are as follows:

– Livermore: 82 degrees, surpassing the previous record set in 1969
– Oakland: 83 degrees, breaking the previous record of 79 degrees set in 1986
– Redwood City: 85 degrees, breaking the previous record of 83 degrees set in 1969
– Salinas: 83 degrees, breaking the previous record of 80 degrees set in 1952 and 1969
– San Francisco International Airport: 80 degrees, breaking the previous record of 77 degrees set in 1986 and 2021
– San Rafael: 84 degrees, breaking the previous record of 82 degrees set in 1951 and 1969

Temperatures remained well above the seasonal average all month long, reaching the warmest March on record in the weather service’s downtown San Francisco climate zone, “We certainly had some increases in record temperatures,” Flynn said. “In terms of average temperature, we are destroying the previous March record.”

Not only will this month go down as the hottest month on record, it’s also poised to be the second driest, with just a few days of drizzle, amounting to six-hundredths of an inch of precipitation.

“This is an unusual situation,” said Flynn. “March is kind of a transition month where we move out of the heavy rainy season, so this is unusual.”

This type of heat wave may not be that concerning in the short term, as meteorologists look for effects such as common heat-related illnesses. But if they see the same anomaly in August, “it’s going to be a big problem” in terms of fire weather, Flynn said.

“Some of our algorithms that we use to monitor fuel dryness are breaking records for this time of year,” he said. “Dead fuel moisture, the smallest material to be burned, is at levels we expect to see in July. They will improve slightly, but it’s concerning to see them this early.”

The normally green grass started turning brown a month earlier than usual, Flynn said. While the threat of wildfire is minimal in the short term, meteorologists are closely monitoring the drying trend and how it will progress throughout the year.

“Given that March has been quite hot and dry, any rain for now is very important,” said Flynn.

More Local

– Homes built on faults in the Bay Area are slowly falling apart
– Man who made San Francisco’s wild parrots famous dies at 74
– Hundreds of millionaires are trying to escape the USA
– San Francisco Eichler fetches $1 million above asking price

Get SFGATE’s top stories delivered to your inbox You can sign up for The Daily newsletter here.

This article was first published at: San Francisco breaks 150-year-old weather record for entire month.