Heat On the Way. And Thunderstorms?

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A quiet mid August weather pattern is about to be interrupted by extreme heat across inland areas of the North Bay , with even the chance of thunderstorms on Friday.

But, the good news is that for now no big wind events are forecast, so fire danger may not reach extreme levels during the blast of heat coming our way.

What’s causing the changes? A look at the Wednesday satellite picture tells the story.

High pressure building in from the Four Corners region will bring the heat, and a southerly wind on the west side of the high pressure dome will drag moisture from weakening tropical storm Elida into our region by Friday.

As high pressure builds into our region Thursday and Friday, the heat will increase inland, especially on Friday and into the weekend. And the heat risk will extend throughout Northern California.

Much of the North Bay may be spared the worst of the heat, which will be concentrated to the east of us including the inland East Bay and the central valley. An excessive heat watch is in effect from Friday through the weekend for part of the Bay Area and inland Northern California.

Still, we’ll be hot. And the heat will continue into next week.

Here are the forecast high temperatures for Friday, Saturday…and then on Tuesday. Lots of 100s in inland areas of Sonoma County and the North Bay but a shallow marine layer will keep coastal areas cool.

Highs Friday

Highs Saturday

Highs Tuesday

And, what about those thunderstorms? There is a small chance that we may get some. Certainly we should see some high and possibly mid level clouds on Friday. The models show tropical moisture from TS Elida streaming into our area on Friday and Saturday.

More to come!