Brutal heat sets records across the North Bay; heat warning extended to Thursday

Temperatures in several locations across Sonoma County soared past 110 on Monday, with some places setting records on what was the first big day of an excessive heat warning that’s expected to lasts through the week.

Temperatures exceeded those that had been forecast for the Labor Day holiday. Santa Rosa, which was expected to see temperatures between 104 and 106, broke a few records with an official high of 112.

That broke the previous official record for the day, 101, set in 2008, according to the National Weather Service. It also breaks previous high temperature for September, which was 110 back in 2020, 2017 and 1971, said weather service forecaster Sean Miller.

Miller said the hottest locations in Sonoma County were in the area between the Russian River, Windsor and the Sonoma County Airport, where unofficial temperatures reached as high as 115.

The unofficial temperature in Petaluma hit 108 and outside of the town of Sonoma, in the hills, it got to 114, Miller said. Cloverdale got between 107 and 113; Healdsburg reached between 112 and 114; and Windsor hit 115.

Miller said Santa Rosa’s official high missed the all-time high of 113 for July 11, 1913, a record that could be surpassed tomorrow.

“If we have a shot, tomorrow is going to be similar temperature wise to today,” Miller said. “So that will probably tell the story … It could be a couple degrees warmer, it could be a couple of degrees cooler. So if we're going to do it, tomorrow will be the day.”

The cause of the heat is a high pressure phenomenon known as a heat dome, which traps hot air beneath it. The weather pattern triggered one of the hottest temperatures ever recorded in the Bay Are on Monday, 116 in Fairfield.

On Monday morning, the National Weather Service extended this week’s excessive heat warning to Thursday, with the risk level for heat related illness for people, animals and pets in the interior North Bay expected to reach “extreme.”

Throughout the day, paramedics and EMTs were kept buy responding to numerous emergency calls for people passing out or experiencing dizziness because of the heat. Among the most vulnerable are the elderly, as well as homeless people, many of whom had no way of escaping the heat except through the shade of a tree or building wall.

While authorities recommended that residents stay inside, Suzana Perez, 32, of Santa Rosa set out with her husband Gavino Vasquez and other family members to provide some relief to those who were suffering the most from the heat.

At about 10:30 a.m., they packed up their black GMC Sierra with bags of ice, water bottles of all sizes; cans of soda and Popsicles and roamed the streets of Santa Rosa.

They drove down Santa Rosa Avenue and Mendocino Avenue, stopping briefly when they encountered people on the street taking cover from the sun in whatever shade they could find. Perez’s cousins Francisco Ramos and Maricela Perez, as well as Maricela’s daughter Ariana Aguirre, helped distribute the water and ice.

“I like to make sure people are drinking and eating just like we are, every day,” Suzana Perez said.

Off Sebastopol roads, about a dozen people living in campers, tents and cars gladly took water and bags of ice. One man, who asked that his name not be used, packed a medium sized ice chest with ice, water and a few cans of soda.

“Two people fainted on the corner there this morning,” the man said.

Over the weekend, weather officials had previously forecast that temperatures would begin easing back into the 90s on Wednesday. While that’s true, Thursday will once again bring what the Weather Service is calling “oppressive heat.”.

Brooke Bingaman, a weather service forecaster, said interior North Bay residents will have to endure triple digit temperatures through the week.

Authorities advise area residents and visitors to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, keep out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.

Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances.

The extreme heat compounds concerns about wildfires. State Sen. Mike McGuire on Monday said fire officials are preparing firefighting resources throughout the state.

“This represents the largest pre-positioning deployment in the state's history,” McGuire said. “Twenty counties are receiving enhanced firefighting resources, fire engines, bulldozers, water tenders, and additional personnel.”

McGuire said the state will be vigilant over the next four to five days. “We're worried about lightning in Southern California, we're worried about traditional fire starts here in Northern California,” he said.

Lake, Mendocino and Sonoma counties are receiving enhanced firefighting resources, including additional bulldozers, fire engines and water tenders. “We’ve learned a lot since the Tubbs Fire” of 2017, he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.