David Hall, 5, thrust his hands into the water at the Alameda County Fairgrounds, his small brow damp with sweat.

The temperature had hit 102 degrees, making the nearby grills lined with sausages and burgers seem redundant. Hall's parents had heard the sound of gurgling water from a display for a local hot-tub company and brought him over. The water was not hot, thankfully.

"He's suffering from the heat," said David's father, Bob, 49, keeping a watchful eye on the boy. "He's just not as energetic as he would be."

The same could be said Sunday for most residents of the East Bay, as the heat wave pushed thermometers above 100 degrees in many inland spots. While Gay Pride revelers in San Francisco basked in sunshine and temperatures just below 70, cities away from the ocean and the bay endured a thorough broiling.

Saved by the clouds

It could have been worse. A thin screen of high clouds crept across the area in the early afternoon, knocking temperatures down a notch from Saturday.

"That's enough to do it, make the heat abate somewhat," said Bob Benjamin, a forecaster with the National Weather Service. "It's still very warm, a lot of temperatures in excess of 100 degrees, but it's off the mark."

Expect a rebound Monday, even along the coast. Livermore is forecast to hit 104 Monday, while Oakland should reach 85 and San Francisco 75. The City by the Bay was also is likely to escape its infamous summer fog for much of the week. Thank - or blame - the high-pressure dome roasting the West. Warm weather, even in San Francisco, is expected to last through Thursday.

"This high pressure is very intense, and it suppresses the lower atmosphere," Benjamin said. "At least along the immediate coast, we're still getting the cooler air but not the fog. Conditions aren't right for it."

With air conditioners cranked up high, electricity supplies could be strained during the next few days. The California Independent System Operator, which runs most of the state's power grid, called a Flex Alert for Monday and Tuesday. Such alerts ask people to voluntarily reduce their electricity use as much as possible until after 6 p.m.

No Bay Area cities set temperature records Sunday.

But that's a small distinction. The heat was still oppressive enough that Contra Costa County opened 11 cooling centers where people could relax in air conditioning.

Many people braved the outdoors anyway but tried to take the heat into account.

Showing up early

Derrick Williams of Pinole scooped up his 15-month-old daughter, Taliya, and brought her close enough to shade her tiny head beneath the big brim of his straw hat. Like the Halls, Williams and his wife wanted to bring their children to the Alameda County Fair. So they made a point of showing up early. By 1:30 p.m., many fairgoers were clustering under trees or umbrellas and sucking down lemonades, shunning the games and rides. Williams was ready to steer his children to the exits.

"Our plan was to enjoy it for the morning, then get the hell out of here around noon," said Williams, 45. "We've had a great time. Now it's time to go."

Not everyone found the temperatures hard to take.

"I'm from Manteca - this isn't bad!" said Mike Adams, 59. He was operating a booth at the fair selling hats and doing a brisk business. Handheld fans hung from the beams of the booth, keeping him cool. Well, relatively cool.

"A lot of people here are from around the bay," he said. "They're not used to coming here and walking around in 95 degrees."
