Record Heat Scorches Bay Area; Some Shed Garb to Protest Anti-Nudity Law
- Share via
SAN FRANCISCO — As an unusual midsummer heat wave peeled away temperature records Saturday, some residents in Berkeley responded by peeling off their clothes to make a political point.
A high pressure system hanging over the West dragged hot air from inland valleys into the Bay Area. Downtown San Francisco reached 98 degrees at 2 p.m., shattering the record of 83 set in 1987, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Teri Egger.
“I could go for a few degrees lower,” Egger said.
A few miles away in Berkeley, half a dozen nudists took advantage of the weather to shed their clothes and plan a referendum against an ordinance banning nudity in public places.
Members of the Committee to Preserve Civil Liberties told passersby that for some people, nudity is more than a way to stay cool--it’s a lifestyle.
Elsewhere at 2 p.m., Moffett Naval Air Station near Menlo Park registered 97 degrees, a record for the date.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
More From the Los Angeles Times
Podcasts
John Orr was a renowned fire investigator who was also a prolific arsonist, and whose thinly veiled novel helped to convict him. In this episode we hear from the fire captain who first suspected him—and from Orr himself.
Madison McGhee is joined by legendary Dateline host Josh Mankiewicz and esteemed L.A. Times Reporter Richard Winton as the three of them dive into all-things Menendez Brothers, the good, the bad, and the still unknown.
NPR climate editor Sadie Babits talks about why the media has long overlooked the climate crisis, and how that’s starting to change.
