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Normally cool coastline sizzles; S.F. reaches 91 If you�re thinking of visiting the coast to get away from summer�s last heat wave � save your gas money. Triple-digit heat seared Brookings Monday while Medford coasted through a comparatively mild 93 degrees, and forecasters said the Southern Oregon coast could be every bit as hot as Medford today and Wednesday. Warm, dry air from Eastern Oregon and Idaho brought record heat, gusty winds and desert humidity to a part of the Oregon coast that�s best known for mild weather. "It�s coming out of the northeast," said Murray Orr, at the National Weather Service�s Medford station. "That warm air just funnels right down the Chetco River." Unseasonably warm temperatures extended far down the California coast as Brookings sizzled. Downtown San Francisco hit 91 by midday, a few degrees shy of the 94-degree record set in 1912. Oakland hit 92 degrees, breaking a record of 88 degrees set in 1984. Even coastal areas didn�t get a break, with temperatures in the 80s. Orr said Southern Oregon�s warm spell should wane just in time for summer�s official end. Autumn begins on Friday, at 11:27 a.m., when the sun crosses the equator on its journey south. He said temperatures could reach 95 today and Wednesday in Medford and the low 90s in Brookings. Warm September days are nothing unusual in the Rogue Valley, Orr said. Average high temperatures range around 83 degrees in mid-month, but record daily highs run to 100 as late as Sept. 27. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA