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The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued the 'Spare the Air' alert because of unhealthy smog levels that can cause discomfort to anyone's respiratory system, but can be especially troublesome for young children, seniors and anyone with a respiratory or heart condition.
The Air Quality District advises people put down their mowers and blowers. The bad air means, if you must exercise outside, do so in the morning when the ozone levels are lower. And no matter when or where you exercise, like for example at Cross Fit Pleasanton Reactive Gym, keep a water bottle nearby.
"I know my athletes, I'll keep an eye on them. If it is somebody new I'm not going to push them too much in the heat. If I see signs that are bad, I'll pull them aside and have them sit down drink some water and get hydrated," said Paul Southern of Crossfit Pleasanton.
At Service Champions in Pleasanton, air conditioning technicians are gearing up for what will probably be a long.
"People have had their air conditioners turned off because it has been unseasonably cool. So right now, what is going to happen is the phones are going to start ringing, our techs are going to be out late. They start at about 7 in the morning and they will be out running calls until 10-11 at night," said Service Champions GM Ray Dias.
Amber and Nate Wilson are on a walk to Amber's doctor, hoping to bring Sophia into the world before it gets any hotter.
"We are 9 months pregnant and we are out walking so we can get the baby to come and get her here before it becomes 107 this week," said Amber Wilson.
Not a good summer for home-grown tomatoes
If your backyard tomato plants are looking rather pathetic, you're not alone. The cool Bay Area summer has caused many of them to shut down, leaving stunted tomatoes on the vine that are green and hard. Sunset magazine garden editor Kathleen Brenzel says we haven't had the sustained hot weather it takes for tomatoes to thrive, and the three-day heat wave forecast for this week isn't going to make a difference.
Ms. Brenzel says the biggest problem is for gardeners who planted in June. Those who took advantage of a period of hot weather in March fared better. The impact has been hardest on full-sized tomato plants. Smaller tomato varieties, such as cherry tomatoes, appear to be doing all right.
Weather Blog: Get answers to your Bay Area weather questions in Mike Nicco's weather blog.
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