Record heat bakes Santa Rosa

Santa Rosa on Sunday surpassed its record high temperature for the day, hitting a scorching 108 degrees at the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport.

The city’s old record of 99 degrees was recorded at a downtown location on July 16, 1935, according to National Weather Service data.

The hot, dry conditions prompted warnings of an increased risk for heat-related illnesses and wildland fires across the Bay Area.

“We have a red flag warning out until tonight,” said Anna Schneider, a weather service meteorologist based in Monterey.

A heat advisory also remains in place until 9 p.m.

On Sunday, Santa Rosa and Cloverdale tied for the hottest cities on the North Coast at 108. Windsor, Guerneville and Healdsburg all recorded high temps of 107. Calistoga and Cazadero each peaked at 105, while Sonoma and Middletown each hit 102.

Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Sebastopol and Ukiah all recorded 101.

Around the Bay Area, other communities set new records for the day, but nothing like Santa Rosa. The weather service reported San Jose reached a record high of 97, while the Oakland International Airport reached a new record of 87.

Sunday’s weather turned out to be warmer than forecast. The weather service website had predicted a high temperature for Santa Rosa of 98 degrees.

It also was the second day of record-breaking heat in four weeks. Santa Rosa previously recorded a high of 106 degrees on June 18, surpassing the old peak for the day of 102 degrees recorded in 1917.

On June 17, the 100-degree high tied the record high for that date set in 1945. All the previous records were measured in downtown Santa Rosa rather than the airport.

The heat is expected to lessen today with a high in the upper 80s for Santa Rosa, Schneider said. However, temperatures may exceed 90 degrees for some inland areas in the county.

You can reach Staff Writer Robert Digitale at 707-521-5285 or robert.digitale@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @rdigit.