The Bay Area weather forecast as fall heads into the stretch drive and winter awaits in the distance is quite similar to those that persist for days and days in the summer.

Sunny, with clear skies.

And warm — just not as warm as July and August.

“For the foreseeable future, the next week or so, maybe a bit longer, we’re gonna have this stubborn high pressure hanging around the region,” National Weather Service meteorologist Sarah McCorkle said. “Eventually, we’ll get some relief, but it probably won’t be until sometime next week.”

The immediate consequence of that high pressure is that more heat records could fall on Wednesday. McCorkle said that is expected to be the warmest day under the this high-pressure hangout and that temperatures in some areas could rise into the low 70s.

San Jose in Santa Clara County; Oakland in Alameda County; Walnut Creek in Contra Costa County; and San Rafael in Marin County are among the places expected to reach at least 70 degrees, according to McCorkle.

The warm spell already brought a record on Sunday. Oakland toppled its 19-year-old mark by three degrees when it reached 73, according to the weather service. San Francisco also tied a 26-year-old mark by getting to 70.

The clear weather and warm temperatures are in keeping with a current La Niña weather pattern occurring in the Pacific Ocean, according to McCorkle. The pattern causes cold water to rise in the Pacific, creating a pattern that can keep some storms away, she said.

“It usually means warmer and dryer,” she said.

One of the ramifications of the long-term high-pressure also will be the air quality, officials said. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District said the air-quality index readings will stay between 51-100 for the week in the region, meaning the air is moderately healthy to breathe.

And still nowhere in sight: Rain

“Nope,” McCorkle said.

By Saturday, the high temperatures are expected to be back in the mid-to-high 60s through much of the region, according to the weather service.

Source: www.mercurynews.com