Chimney Sweep

80 levels in winter? Why Bay Space temperatures are hovering on Tuesday

Temperatures in the Bay Area spiked Tuesday and provided t-shirt weather in the winter. Most of the places in the area, including San Francisco, were by 3pm in the ’70s

Santa Rosa Airport reached 80 degrees at 2 p.m., the highest temperature recorded at this location so far this year. The average first 80 degrees in Santa Rosa is around March 15, according to the National Weather Service.

For comparison: Phoenix and Las Vegas – places in the west that often experience warm weather in winter – still have to reach 80 in 2020.

The reason for this mild weather in mid-February? Rowe stated that temperatures usually cool off overnight, but last night an offshore pattern of north to northeast winds blowing from inland valleys to the coast never allowed this to happen.

“Last night we still had a little offshore wind at just 2,000 feet above the surface,” Rowe said. “That limited the nocturnal radiation, that is the radiation that the earth emits overnight. It has not cooled down.”

This wind setting is worrying in the fall at the height of the fire season, but Rowe said we had enough rain in November and December to wet the soil and vegetation and prevent extreme drought conditions that could start wildfires.

ALSO: Why planes that landed on SFO flew scary near Highway 101 on Sunday

Wednesday marks the start of a cooling trend as a dry, cool system from the north sweeps the area. Temperatures on Wednesday afternoon will be 5 to 10 degrees lower than on Tuesday afternoon.

The weather is dry until February and there is still no chance of significant rain. The southern edge of a storm that hits the Pacific Northwest can bring sprinkles to the North Bay from Saturday night through Sunday morning, but the likelihood is slim.

“That was an issue all year,” said Rowe. “Your umbrellas to the northwest have been used well in storm after storm and we are at the end of those storms.”

Amy Graff is a digital editor at SFGATE. Email her: araff@sfgate.com.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button