Temperatures break record in San Francisco Bay Area. How hot will it get this week?

The San Francisco Bay Area was soaked in sunshine over the weekend, and the dry and unseasonably warm conditions are expected to persist through most of the workweek, with afternoon temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above normal, the National Weather Service said.

The sunny weather is the result of a ridge of high pressure stretched across California and the desert Southwest. The ridge is preventing any storms from the Pacific Ocean pushing into California.

"It acts like a blocking mechanism and is streaming all that moisture into the Pacific Northwest," said Sarah McCorkle, a meteorologist with the weather service.

A temperature gauge at the Oakland Museum hit a high of 73 degrees, breaking the previous same-day record of 70 degrees set in 2002.

The San Francisco International Airport recorded a high of 70 on Saturday, tying with the same-day record reached in 1995.

Afternoon temperatures are forecast to remain above average through Thursday, with afternoon highs in the mid-60s to mid-70s. Wednesday will likely be the hottest day of the week. San Francisco is forecast to hit a high of 68, Oakland 69, San Jose 73 and Santa Rosa 74. To the south of the Bay Area, Monterey County could record 80s in the inland valleys.

While the weather is great if you want to dine outdoors and go for a hike, it's not what the region needs right now amid drought conditions. The Bay Area saw a wet start to the rainy season with a moisture-rich atmospheric river dumping record amounts of rain in October, but Matt Mehle, a forecaster with the weather service, told KCBS that benefit will quickly fade away if the dry weather persists.

As of Monday, there was no sign of rain until Dec. 6 or 7, and chances remained low for any significant precipitation.