Record highs were recorded in Oakland at 78 degrees, breaking the 74 set in 2006; in Salinas, where it was 83, breaking the 2018 record of 81; and Richmond tied the record 75 set in 1988.
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As of 1 p.m. Thursday, here's a list of records that have broken or tied previous record highs:
- Downtown Oakland at 76 degrees ties old record from 1988
- Redwood City at 75 degrees ties old record from 1988
- San Jose at 76 degrees breaks old record of 73 from 2016
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With temperatures predicted to be far above normal in much of Southern California, the National Weather Service upgraded a heat watch to a heat advisory lasting from late Wednesday morning through Sunday.
The heat watch and advisory were the first to be issued by the Los Angeles region weather office in the month of February, according to records dating to 2006.
A high of 83 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded for downtown LA on Wednesday, shy of the date's record of 89 set in 2016. The normal high is 68.
Downtown LA's highest February temperature was 95 on Feb. 20, 1995.
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After a December drenching, California has been largely warm and dry as a result of a ridge of high pressure over the eastern Pacific Ocean and the West Coast. The pattern causes offshore flow of air, including periods of gusty winds.
Watch the latest AccuWeather forecast and take a look at recent weather stories and videos.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.