Bay Area residents deal with more record temperatures

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ByMatt Keller KGO logo
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Bay Area residents deal with more record temps
The record heat wave that continues to sweep across the Bay Area has prompted a South Bay school district to take the unusual move to cut classes short today and tomorrow in an effort to keep students safe.

Bay Area residents are bracing for yet another day of hot weather. And it's not over yet. ABC7 News Meteorologist Mike Nicco says a Heat Advisory is in effect both today and tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. There is also a Beach Hazard Advisory in effect for southwest facing beaches through this evening, with beachgoers warned of strong rip currents.

The scorching weather is apparently too much to bear for thousands of students in the south bay. One school district is cutting classes short today and tomorrow in an unusual move.

VIDEO: East Bay workers take precaution when working in heat

The morning drop off in front of Del Mar High School in San Jose is a matter of routine -- parents say goodbye and kids head to class. But on Wednesday it was a little different because it was unusually hot.

Temperatures are forecasted for the upper 90s to low 100s, which is about 20 degrees above average for this time of the year. So classes ended about two hours early.

"Some of the schools have some rooms with air conditioning, some of the schools do not have air conditioning so we are concerned about that," said Valerie Royaltey-Quandt with the Campbell Union High School District. "So to have a consistent plan we had to give a minimum day to all of the schools in the district."

READ MORE: Full list of cooling centers around the Bay Area

Student Stephanie Alvarez added, "The classrooms are way too hot. You just want to leave for home. It's not cool."

The seven schools in the Campbell Union High School District -- Branham, Del Mar, Leigh, Prospect, Westmont, Boynton, and the Camden Community Day School -- are on minimum days today and tomorrow. Most students got out around noon.

Practices for football, field hockey, cross country, tennis, and other sports teams are being cancelled or moved indoors.

The message -- if it is too hot to be in class, it's too hot to be outside practicing.

"I was just waiting to get home, you know, so I can go to the pool or just take a shower," said student Sebastian Delira. "It was just way too hot."

District leaders say they're looking to put in air conditioning in all the schools and hope to have a bond on the ballot to pay for it by next year.

Schools all across the Bay Area are dealing with the heat. The El Cerrito High School football team practices on synthetic turf, which adds about 10 to 15 degrees, making it very important players are hydrating even before practice starts. Coaches are also having players eat bananas or potassium supplements so they don't cramp up.

The heat wave is also forcing Caltrain to run trains at lower speeds. Caltrain is taking the rare precaution because extreme heat can damage the rails.

Because of the temperatures, many Bay Area cities will open cooling centers to help people get out of the heat. Click here for a full list of cooling centers that are open today.