100-degree temperatures on the way

<p>The North Bay is bracing for another heat wave this week, and authorities are warning of poor air quality from smoky skies.</p><p>Temperatures approching 110 degrees are expected in Ukiah and some other inland areas through Friday — aggravating already tough conditions for some fire crews — while in Santa Rosa the mercury is likely to flirt with the 100-degree mark.</p><p>Santa Rosa already was 94 degrees at 1:30 p.m. Monday and likely to get warmer. </p><p>Accuweather, the firm that provides weather data to The Press Democrat, said it will be 100 degrees in Santa Rosa on Tuesday and Wednesday. That’s a couple of degrees hotter than the National Weather Service forecast</p><p>By the weekend, the lower 80s should prevail, said meteorologist Andrew Joros at the Weather Service office in Monterey office.</p><p>“It’s most likely going to be lower than the heat wave three weeks ago because there’s more of an onshore flow,” he said.</p><p>This week’s heat is being attributed to a high-pressure ridge growing above the state that acts “like a big bubble of warm air,” Joros said.</p><p>Coastal temperatures are not likely to be as extreme as they were three weeks ago, when a blanket of heat from high pressure and offshore flow meant the winds were moving from the east to the west and offering little relief, Joros said.</p><p>“The winds were moving toward the ocean instead of from the ocean,” he said. </p><p>This time, the forecast for coastal communities is for the mid- to high-70s Monday and warming a bit during the week. </p><p>But temperatures in Ukiah may soar as high as 108, said Lana Forester, a spokeswoman for the Cal Fire crews working the Mendocino County fires. </p><p>The Weather Service is warning of high fire danger through Wednesday because of the high temperatures, low humidity and breezes at high elevations. </p><p>It has issued an air quality warning for Mendocino County and the greater North Coast region because of heavy smoke from fires that have burned an estimated 46,000 acres in Mendocino County.</p><p>Smoke from those blazes is blowing south and fouling skies in central Somoma County.</p><p>Prolonged exposure to smoke can cause serious health problems and aggravate lung disease, cause asthma attacks and acute bronchitis, officials said. </p><p>The Bay Area Air Quality Management District on Monday issued its fifth Spare the Air advisory this year.</p>