Freeze warnings all weekend, then colder Monday

(12-07) 17:50 PST San Jose --

The record-setting deep freeze that has gripped the Bay Area for days may have claimed a fifth life and is expected to hold on at least until Monday, weather officials warned, sending shelter officials scrambling to house the vulnerable homeless.

While freeze warnings will be in effect all weekend, the worst is coming early next week, with temperatures plunging into the 20s in the inland and coldest areas, said Ryan Walbrun, forecaster for the National Weather Service.

"We still have at least three, possibly four really cold nights - the coldest night of the next three actually will be Monday morning," he said.

A homeless man found dead Friday afternoon in Dublin may be the latest casualty of the cold. The unidentified victim was found at 12:40 p.m. and an autopsy will be performed on Monday to determine whether he may have died of exposure or hypothermia.

"It's been cold and he's been homeless, so it's quite possible, but just looking at him, I couldn't venture a guess," said coroner's office Deputy E. Bordi. "We don't know much about him."

So far, frigid temperatures have officials been blamed for the deaths of four homeless people since Nov. 28, three in San Jose and one in Saratoga. With Friday night's rain actually easing the cold, however, the death toll stayed at four as of midday Saturday, said Claire Wagner, spokeswoman for EHC LifeBuilders, the Milpitas nonprofit agency that coordinates efforts to help the homeless in the South Bay.

"It's highly unusual for us to have four deaths in such a short time," Wagner said, adding that the death toll has prompted a major outreach effort.

Volunteers and outreach workers were out in force Saturday, looking for homeless people in need of shelter, Wagner said.

"They are still finding a lot of people, for various reasons, who are not going to shelters, so they're providing thermal blankets and some wool blankets just to help," she said, adding that homeless people who want shelter will be provided free transport to the nearest facility.

The nonprofit homeless program planned to set up 375 additional beds at shelters in San Jose, Sunnyvale and Gilroy and will make them available at least through Monday.

Wagner said the command center does not expect to field workers during the day Sunday, and county officials have notdecided whether the outreach will resume Monday.

The Boccardo Reception Center in San Jose, the Sunnyvale National Guard Armory and the Gilroy National Armory will all provide additional beds, bringing the total of cold weather beds to 650.

Bay Area lows overnight into Saturday were only in the 40s in San Francisco, Walbrun said, but were expected to plunge with the rain moving out. Downtown San Francisco had .39 of an inch of rain Friday night. The most rain was .84 of an inch in Kentfield while San Jose Airport registered just .13 of an inch.

"I would say that as we head toward the middle of the week we will slowly ease out of it, with stagnant and pretty cold air remaining," he said. "Right now, there is no more rain in the forecast and no more in sight."

Meanwhile, snow and ice forced the closure Saturday of Interstate 5 at Tejon Pass, cutting a major link with the southern part of California. Highways 14 and 58, alternative routes, were also closed.