It’s beach, barbecue and maybe even bikini weather in the Bay Area — in January.

With record or near-record high temperatures in the 70s forecast for the weekend, people will be headed to shorelines, picnic grounds and sidewalk cafes instead of ski slopes.

It’s the latest stage of the unseasonably warm and dry weather hovering around as California enters its fourth year of drought.

“This weekend probably will be great weather for outdoor picnicking,” said Steve Anderson, a National Weather Service forecaster. “It’s very unusual weather for January.”

Highs on Saturday are expected to reach the low 70s in San Jose, where the record for that day is 76; 72 in Oakland, where the record is 71; and high 60s in Livermore, where the record is 73. The high in Santa Cruz is expected to be 75, one degree lower than the record of 76.

Similar temperatures are possible Sunday before a modest cooling trend.

With beaches expected to be popular, forecasters advise visitors to be on alert for high surf levels.

This January has been the driest on record in the Bay Area with no significant rain falling. “We haven’t had a January before without rain,” Anderson said.

There is a chance of rain Tuesday or Wednesday when a weather front from the south arrives, but that is not a sure thing.

For now, though, a high-pressure system off the coast remains in place, bringing warmer and calmer air to the Bay Area and deflecting wet fronts further north.

The Dodge Ridge and Badger Pass ski resorts in the Central Sierra announced Tuesday they are shutting down lifts until they get more snow.

Meanwhile, in the Bay Area, people are wondering whether it is time to start watering the lawn — especially in areas with rationing and other restrictions such as in eastern Alameda County.

The Dublin San Ramon Services District is telling customers that a ban on turning on sprinklers remains in effect until April 1, as does a mandatory limit of using no more than 4,480 gallons per week — or about 640 gallons a day.

“We’re getting more calls about the rules,” said Renee Olsen, a district spokeswoman. “It’s certainly been dry, but our restrictions remain in place at least until April, when we find out our water supply.”

Contact Denis Cuff at 925-943-8267. Follow him at Twitter.com/deniscuff.