i prefer you didn't! xiidra. not today, dry eye. supplies are limited and covid has put a big hit on the inventory. >> the bay area sweating it out this friday, and if you are in need of a fan or air conditioner, you might be out of luck. tose going outside, physical distancing is at the top of their minds but they are finding the heat too much. >> school, a look at how distance learning is taking place and bay area businesses are now dealing with customers who are trying to avoid wearing a mask. >> building a better bay area for a safe and secure future, this is abc 7 news. >> don't let the clouds fool you. hot is the word today for the bay area as a heat wave hits with some of the warmest weather

we have seen all year, blistering heat in fact. thank you for joining us. >> yes. it is hot everywhere in the bay area, sweltering. it is not going to cool down too much for several days. sandy, any records? >> yes. many records to speak of. this heat wave, day two. we have five more to go. take a look at the map right now. this is as it all. we are sweltering in the heat. most of you in the 90s in triple digits. as you check out the dangerous heat wave until wednesday night and we have a heat razery until 9:00. there is a risk of heat illnesses. 95 in san francisco, oakland 101. triple digits redwood city, richmond. many of the records are going back to last year.

santa rosa, 106 today. 82 in half moon bay. that is not a typo. 105 degrees. i'll let you know how hot for the weekend and how long the trend will last. >> all right, we will check back. our intense heat wave is sending many of us in search of relief. one spot in the north bay is ready for an influx of visitors but warns you have to play by the rules. >> reporter: ama, if you don't like the heat it's not the place to be. temperatures spiking well over 100 degrees today. the russian river looks so inviting right now. many families coming up here to cool off but social distancing and mask requirements are in place even during the heat wave.

>> i am happy to be by the water right now. >> eli and his family from oakland came to the russian river in search of someplace warm. >> it is so hot and it feels so good. we are tired of that bay area fog. >> right now you can see not many people out. you can easily maintain that distance from other people. >> by 1:00 it was 104 and memorial beach was getting popular. >> well, with the heat especially it is going to be crazy. signs warn the beach and adjacent park would close if it got too crowded. >> really encouraging people to take care of themselves and if possible just stay at home. >> sonoma county is on the state's watch list, more than 140 new cases in the past 24

hours. >> if you are going to take advantage of a park or one of the beaches, practice social distancing. wear a mask. don't be in groups of more than 12 people. >> this backyard thermometer said it was well over 100 degrees. at the hardware store, a lot of fans were in stock and portable air conditioners sold out. >> we should get a shipment in on monday but it is hard to keep them in stock with demand so high right now. >> yeah. demand really high right now. if you don't want to shell out money for air conditioning there are local beaches and places like the russian river. don't forget to hydrate and use sun screen, the heat will be with us for a while now. >> similar story in the east bay but added to the concern is a problem at chevron's richmond

refinery. this smoke could be seen for miles and on a spare the air day. eric thomas with the story tonight. it's never a good thing but on spare the air day more disturbing. >> reporter: yeah. air quality officials hate it. county officials hate it. you hate it if you are the one that sees it. hot days and spare the air days go together in an unholy alliance. the flare you described is a safety mech simple to keep excess pressure out of the system. worked the way it was supposed to but it wasn't pretty. >> this is the last thing anyone wants to see on a spare the air day. thick plumes of smoke began pumping into the air from the stacks of the chevron refinery. the industry calls it flaring, burning overpressurized gas. in a statement chevron said it was due to an upset at a process unit and said flares are a

safety device used in refineries to relieve pressure during the refining process. >> there were notes of particulates, it was nowhere near a level that is concerning to human health. >> there were no injuries or reports of health issues in surrounding areas but chevron warns there could be intermittent flaring throughout the day. it is usually harmless but can pose a threat to those with respiratory problems and in the age of coronavirus the county and bay area air quality management district will be watching and investigating. >> we expect the highest standards tomorrow in all of our refineries and there will be a full investigation. >> if it is not done for safety purposes or if it was done in a way that does not go by the district regulations they can be

issued a violation. >> in contra costa county they can keep one eye on the stacks and another on the thermometer. the area's biggest water park and pools shut down because of covid-19. these two women tried to get out early for a morning walk and quickly found it a little too warm for comfort. >> we got stuck in what feels like around 88 to 90 degrees. >> keep your eye on the the heat we are ot on that, the suffering through right now. yet cooling centers were open in parts of the county. you might want to contact your local health department about that and see where they are. they have covid-19 restrictions as well. masks and social distancing. obviously they can't take as many people as they have in the past.

eric thomas, abc 7 news. >> the beach is also a popular spot today. the crowd started to build early in santa cruz and surfers hit the waters. we spotted plenty of people at crown beach and they were doing a good job of maintaining social distancing. governor newsom is warning every californian to do their part to conserve energy during the heat wave. >> if you want to remind your kids to turn the lights off, this is the time to do it. >> california is under a state wide alert to limit power use as much as possible during the hours, 3 to 8:00 p.m. governor newsom said the next 7-10 days are critical for the state with many people seeing triple digit temperatures. the heat is not an excuse to not wear a mask. >> so true. it was too hot to play outdoors

today and for some too miserable to focus on learning. school districts may be aware there could be a blackout system on the power grid as some have a plan b in case they can't teach their students online. >> reporter: online classes start on monday. the school district is hoping everyone will be connected, it is not ruling out the possibility of power outages. this first grade teacher in san francisco. >> i don't anticipate that will happen, and if it does i don't think anyone will be stressed out about it. but just know that we move on and we do it in another way. >> reporter: san francisco unified said if power goes out teachers may call students. students have nondigital learning materials to work with. oakland unified started last week. teachers there will do the same

and structure students to work off line if the power goes out. in brentwood the school district gives teachers the option to work at the school site or at home assuming one or both locations will have power on monday. teachers working online from home today sent us pictures of how they were staying cool. gloria diaz is a san francisco parent of three children. >> we are not used to this hot weather. he was actually complaining like it is so hot. >> reporter: not every school district is concerned because live instruction happens in the morning before there is high demand which then puts added pressure on the electrical grid. an extra $5.3 billion in

funding has been made available for california schools to implement new guidelines with wi-fi connectivity and daily live interaction with teachers online. >> we are focused on the short-term and the long-term knowing that we have communities in rural communities that don't have access broadband or the infrastructure. >> the governor provided an executive order and he asked the state's broadband council to create a new action plan and saw their cases climbing to 700, pushing the total above 600,000. another 188 deaths were reported well above the seven-day average. the positivity rate is 6.5%. >> the major announcement today

about mass at one of the city's most iconic churchescesk i is a a bins oer and customers. >> and seeing for spending a perfectly reasonable amount of time on the couch with tacos from grubhub? rewarded! get a free delivery perk when you order.

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it's important californians have health coverage. if you've lost health insurance, covered california can help. you may even get financial help to pay for your health insurance. just visit coveredca.com today. >> bay area businesses have enough on their hands during the pandemic and many trying to do anything they can to keep the doors open. but they are finding some peopl avoid wearing a mask. a warning for anyone that is thinking about trying. >> it is incredibly ridiculous. it did not get them anywhere. >> reporter: what connoisseur coffee company over refers to as

ridiculous, this sign indicating the person wearing it is exempt from wearing a mask. >> there are a number of errors and incorrect information on the sign. >> reporter: the department of justice issued this alert. the san mateo county health departments say there are legitimate exceptions. >> i had one lady come in with two cuts in her mask saying it is trouble for me breathing. i am like doesn't that defeat the purpose. >> connoisseur coffee has been on the lookout and now has security cameras and reminders everywhere to wear a mask. >> don't fall for this don't fao small businesses can apply

for financial help. starting on monday the city will take applications for $5,000 grants funded by the cares act. it can fund about 130 small businesses. there are a few requirements including no more than 25 employees as of march this year, and the business must currently be open or have plans to reopen. church services are headed outdoors this weekend in san francisco. they will celebrate mass on the plaza st. mary's this sunday. >> you know, sometimes it is just a basic act of kindness that can bring a smile to someone's face. two teenagers teamed up to let the health care community know they are grateful for what they are doing. cards for heroes.

>> cards are a simple way to convey a message. you can wish someone a happy birthday, tell them that tu love them or thank someone for all they do. two teens wanted to show their gratitude for health care heroes and they made some cars. >> we were seeing that health care workers are taking a mental and emotional toll. >> we are trying to disperse happiness. our project, what we are trying to do is collect baby cards from our members and delivering them to hospitals along with gift cards. >> it is a way that we can support each other. we are through selfless service and bringing our community together. >> a little over 260 cards in two months. >> i was actually working in the

covid unit and i remembered having a big smile after that. all of my co-workers were very smiley after they got the cards. >> as a professional we don't really need to be given a gift. that's our job to take care of sick people. given that kind of gift it was a very good feeling. >> they are our heroes in so many ways. >> as long as the pandemic is going on we will be there to thank the health care workers. >> if you want to get involved visit our website at abc7news.com. >> isn't that nice. we invite you to join project thanks and share your gratitude for everyone making a difference during the coronavirus pandemic. so many great stories.

show us how you are saying thank you and we will share it with the community. >> all right. as we go to break we want to show you a live look at something we don't want to see on a day as hot as today. a fire on 17. you can see exactly where the roadways are. believe it started as a car fire and it spread to grass.

inflammation in your eye might be to blame.ck, looks like a great day for achy, burning eyes over-the-counter eye drops typically work by lubricating your eyes and may provide temporary relief. ha! these drops probably won't touch me. xiidra works differently, targeting inflammation that can cause dry eye disease. what is that? xiidra, noooo! it can provide lasting relief. xiidra is the only fda approved treatment specifically for the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. one drop in each eye, twice a day. don't use if you're allergic to xiidra. common side effects include eye irritation, discomfort or blurred vision when applied to the eye, and unusual taste sensation. don't touch container tip to your eye or any surface. after using xiidra, wait 15 minutes before reinserting contacts. got any room in your eye? talk to an eye doctor about twice-daily xiidra. i prefer you didn't! xiidra. not today, dry eye.

>> there are several power outages in the bay area. you can see two here on pge's outage map. people are being asked to limit their energy use tonight. >> hi there, we are baking in this heat and it is understandable that we are seeing power outages. san jose showing you sunshine right now, triple digits all the

way to concord, livermore, fairfield has hit 110. that is excessive. hazy skies s the air alert is up for today. triple digits from redwood city to san jose. 80 in half moon bay. drink plenty of fluids. seek out ac. definitely wear lightweight clothing and don't forget about the pets or humans in cars, people in cars. can get a lot hotter. excessive heat warning until 9:00 next wednesday. increased risk of heat illnesses. they will be continuing to see the temperatures up to 110 degrees. heat illnesses are possible. a heat advisory is up until 9:00 p.m. tonight. the absence of fog, part of the reason along with the heat as to why we are so hot.

we have been traisre. brought a few sprinkles, firing up the thunderstorms in the sierra nevada. tower cameras showing you the clouds in the distance. feels a little muggy out there, you can get a brief respite and the mugginess returns with another wave of moisture. record temperatures over the weekend. a heat risk remains elevated. morning temperatures, mild to warm. records are possible again. 50s to 70s tomorrow afternoon in the south bay. 96 in san jose. 92. still hot but not as hot as today. 79 in half moon bay. downtown san francisco, 80. 76 in daly city. 96 in napa. east bay, 88 oakland. 91 union. this is the hottest period for

inland areas, august to september. triple digits around livermore. concord, fairfield. 106 in brentwood. intense heat continues tomorrow. mid100s for the hottest spot. we will get relief. >> thank you. >> we have a doctor and a man that needed a heart transplant

want restand schools?pen? want the economy to get back on track? you're not alone. and you can help make it happen. stay 6 feet apart. wash your hands. wear a mask every time you leave your home. choose to join the fight against covid-19. do your part. slow the spread.

>> coming up on abc 7 news at 6:00, a look at how the bear area is grapping with the record breaking heat. the abc 7 news team looking into how a minor noise complaint escalated into this. a young couple celebrating a birthday beaten by police. and the race for a coronavirus vaccine. we examine how experts will

decide who gets it first and why some say race should be a deciding factor. all coming up on abc 7 news at 6:00. something that might lift your spirits. sorry. >> yes. no problem. a patient at cedars-sinai in los angeles had been battling heart failure for years. to save his life he underwent a heart transplant a few weeks ago. >> this is pretty good at playing the ukulele. the doctor, she used to sing professionally. the two got together and didn't take long for them to harmonize. >> their duet has gone viral. isn't that sweet? >> yeah. it has been seen by millions of people. >> that really is nice.

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keep safe and keep it golden. tonight, breaking news. the election warning. the u.s. postal alert in more than 20 states. mail-in ballots may not be delivered in time. including to some key battleground states. this, as president trump campaigns against mail-in voting, threatening to withhold funding from the post office, even as he and the first lady request their mail-in ballots in florida. tonight, former president barack obama accusing trump of trying to kneecap the postal service. also developing, the grim new forecast showing as many as 200,000 u.s. lives may be lost by labor day. as americans remain divided over schools, news tonight from the cdc about survivors of the coronavirus and how long they may be protected after beating it. the new body cam video in the george floyd case.