Bay Area residents enjoy unusually warm weather

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Bay Area residents wasted no time flocking to beaches and shorelines to take advantage of the unusually warm weather. However, those heading out need to be aware of some serious downsides.

Along the Embarcadero, getting outside was top of mind for just about everyone.

"I don't know if this has anything to do with global warming or climate change but I'll sure enjoy it!" said Portola Valley resident Justin Morgan.

It wasn't hard to find people in shorts and a t-shirt in Pacifica, where it was 70 degrees. Typically, this time of year, it's in the 50s.

"It's beautiful, especially since there's no fog down on the coast," said Concord resident Tim Comfort.

But below the surface, the potential for problems is brewing. There is a High Surf Advisory in effect. Sharp Park is at risk for sneaker waves.

The Coast Guard was out, keeping an eye on things all morning at Ocean Beach. Though the advisory was out, surfers were still all in.

"We only get maybe five to ten days like this in a surf season each year, so definitely have to try to yake advantage of it when it's here," said surfer Elijio Arreguin.

In Oakland, people flocked to Lake Merritt to enjoy the sun and the record heat.

"It's nice to be able to enjoy all this weather especially since we've had all that rain and 'Rain-a-geddon' as it's been called," said Oakland resident Tenika Small

But the state isn't in the clear. We're still in a drought, and the rain is necessary for the air quality as well. This is another Spare the Air weekend.

"It's like a dome over the area," said air district spokesperson Lisa Fasano. "It's capping all the air in our region so we don't get the normal breeze that blows out the pollution."

That means anyone caught burning wood will be fined. Patrols will be out all weekend, looking for violators.

Click here to learn more about Spare the Air Alerts.

Find out more information about how to download the ABC7 Weather App here.