Extreme heat heading to Bay Area, officials warn residents to brace for blazing temps
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Bay Area hot spots could hit triple-digits this weekend. Expected temperatures have prompted the National Weather Service to issue an Excessive Heat Watch.
In the South Bay, extreme heat is also prompting warnings from emergency management personnel.
If you can't find shade, you'll want to be close to anything that'll keep you cool. In Downtown San Jose, fountains at Plaza de Cesar Chavez are helping the littlest residents beat the heat.
RELATED: Spare the Air Alert in effect through Sunday
"It's not even humid-hot, it's just hot, hot, hot," Virginia Ahumada said. Her weekend plans involve being outdoors.
"The house is a lot of fun, and there's AC in there, but they really like the outdoors and running around," she said about her young nieces. "So, we come to places like this."
Santa Clara County's Office of Emergency Management (OEM) explained the county plans to expand medical services over the weekend, because of the Excessive Heat Watch.
Temperatures around the Bay Area are expected to reach near-record levels on Saturday, including 90's in San Jose, and almost 100 in Gilroy.
At the Gilroy Garlic Festival, 100,000 people are expected over three days.
OEM officials said hydration is key to surviving sizzling temps. They suggest people arrive early to avoid peak heat hours.
RELATED: Dangerous heat likely this weekend, Spare the Air Alert in effect through Sunday
Patty Eaton with Santa Clara County's OEM explained, "You can get dehydrated without knowing it. You can suffer heat exhaustion, get dizzy, kind of lose your awareness. It's sort of a progressive thing."
In a release, her office suggested the following safety tips:
- Drink plenty of water even if you don't feel thirsty. Avoid alcohol, caffeine or lots of sugar because they will speed up fluid loss;
- Limit physical activity: Avoid physical activity during the hottest time of the day-10 a.m.-3 p.m.;
- Never leave people or pets in a closed, parked car.
- During peak heat hours stay in an air-conditioned area. If you do not have access to air conditioning in your home, visit public facilities such as cooling centers, shopping malls, parks, and libraries to stay cool. Visit http://bit.ly/Cooling-Centers for a list of cooling centers that are open and available throughout Santa Clara County.
The release added the following for the county's homeless population: "The County of Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing staff are working with service providers to allow shelters to remain open during the hottest time of the day to provide the unsheltered with respite from the extreme heat."
Outreach workers are expected to make extra visits to encampments to give out water and provide information about cooling centers and other services.
Even with the warnings, others said their weekend plans involve embracing the extreme heat. San Jose resident, Michelle Ramirez is hopeful the weather will offer some relief.
"Going out and taking in the sun and enjoying the breeze when I can," she said about her weekend plans.
The National Weather Service says the Excessive Heat Watch is issued for inland areas from Saturday morning to Sunday evening.
Ramirez said, "It's just going to keep getting hotter from here."
