Currently 50s and 60s at the coast with much warmer readings inland. #Livermore already 82! #heatwave #bayarea #cawx pic.twitter.com/wIhJvqiszZ
— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) June 22, 2017
PG&E's in-house meteorologists are expecting this week's heatwave to peak today (Thursday), and fingers crossed that the grid is prepared for the extra strain. Temperatures in SF are expected to get above 80 today, with temps across the East Bay heading above 100, but California Independent System Operator (CISO) spokesperson Steven Greenlee tells the Chronicle, "We’re in pretty good shape, knock on wood." Not to jinx anything, but all it's going to take is a grass fire near a transmission line to bring the whole thing down.
A statewide Flex Alert was issued for Monday and Tuesday, asking electricity customers to voluntarily conserve energy during peak hours from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Greenlee tells the Chron that this had a noticeable impact.
But today could be a further test, particularly as people get home from work around the 6 p.m. hour.
Temperatures were already crazy high as of early Thursday morning, as the Chronicle notes in a separate piece via data from the National Weather Service. As of 9 a.m. it was already 82 in Livermore, where temperatures are expected to possibly hit 110 today. Temps along the mountains in the North Bay were also hitting 90 by 6:30 a.m. today.
Whether today's heat ends up busting records remains to be seen, however. The record in Livermore for June 22 was set in 1961, and that was 110. For SFO, it was a high of 98, and that was set in 1989. That same day in 1989 San Francisco proper hit 97, and today's forecast high is 86.
Stay hydrated and covered in sunblock if you plan to be outside!
Hot weather today may break a few records. Here is forecast vs records. #CAwx #CAheat pic.twitter.com/clBbL0dnc8
— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) June 22, 2017