A major heat wave expected in California during the week of July 4 is already prompting heat warnings for much of the state, with triple-digit temperatures predicted and little relief overnight.
Forecasts are still being developed for how extreme and widespread the heat will be, but weather officials are confident that inland California will see several days of dangerously hot conditions, expected from Tuesday through at least Friday.
Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA, said the “great heat wave” also has the potential to bring high temperatures to the coast, which he called unusual for early July.
“Early indications point to potential record heat and a very high risk of grass and brush fires,” Swain said. wrote this week in X.
Along with high temperatures, officials warn that next week could see elevated fire conditions, especially Monday and Tuesday in the Sacramento Valley, when there will be strong winds. particularly strong and low humidity.
EXCESSIVE HEAT EFFECTIVE FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON TO FRIDAY NIGHT
Areas away from the immediate coast will experience dangerously high temperatures, well above average, with limited overnight cooling.
Get ready for next week.#CAwx photo.twitter.com/me8qw65hd4
– NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) June 28, 2024
The San Joaquin Valley is still battling several large fires sparked this week after extreme lightning activity in the area, including the Fresno June Lightning Complex in eastern Fresno County, which as of Friday afternoon had surpassed 10,000 acres with 37% containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Basin Fire, farther east in Fresno County, ignited Wednesday and had grown to 5,692 acres with no containment.
Given fireworks’ propensity to start fires, Cal Fire officials remind residents to be safe and only use them on concrete and have water nearby.
An excessive heat warning has already been issued for much of California, from the northern Sacramento Valley to the Antelope Valley, from Tuesday through at least Friday. The warning has also been extended to most of the Bay Area and much of southwestern California.
Dangerously hot conditions are expected with high temperatures of 105 to 115 degrees, the heat advisory said, while overnight lows will range from the 60s to around 80 degrees.
A strong high pressure system forming over the central Pacific Ocean is forecast to move onto the West Coast early next week, when “a warm air mass will develop over the region,” the National Weather Service wrote in its expanded outlook. The weather pattern, colloquially known as a heat dome, is expected to be centered over Northern California.
“The heat could significantly impact outdoor activities during the holidays,” the weather service wrote in the excessive heat advisory. “Area waterways will continue to cool and flow rapidly, creating dangerous conditions for those seeking relief in rivers and lakes.”
For Thursday of next week, the National Weather Service warns of Risk of significant or extreme heatwhich, according to authorities, is “very dangerous for anyone without adequate hydration or cooling.”
In Death Valley, temperatures are expected to reach 120 degrees next weekend. according to the National Metereological Service.
Meanwhile, temperatures across the state this weekend are expected to be average or even slightly below seasonal normal ahead of rapid warming next week, forecasters said.
“If you’re making outdoor plans (for the 4th of July), big or small, keep an eye on the forecast as it evolves throughout this weekend (while enjoying the seasonal temperatures we’re currently having),” the weather service said. wrote in X.