115-degree temps possible in some Calif. spots as heat wave nears
The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat watch for California's Central Valley for Monday through Sunday when temperatures are expected to soar into the triple digits. The hottest locations, such as Redding and Bakersfield, could see temperatures as high as 110 to 115 degrees.
"Heat related illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke are possible for much of the population if precautions are not taken," the weather service warned.
The warning comes as California is expected to see the hottest temperatures of the year so far in the upcoming heat wave. The weather service is saying the event will bring "major heat risk" to inland areas. Temperatures will gradually warm up through the weekend, before beginning a slow decline on Monday.
The Bay Area is forecast to experience less extreme heat than the Central Valley, as the region sits on the coast, where sea breezes act as a natural air-conditioner. Still, temperatures on Saturday, when the heat event is expected to peak in the Bay Area, will be 5 to 15 degrees above normal. On Saturday, downtown San Francisco is expected to hit a high of 79 degrees, Santa Rosa 95, San Jose 96 and Oakland 83. The highest chances for temperatures in the 100s are in northern Sonoma and Napa counties, the most eastern parts of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties and the southern part of the Santa Clara County, said Dial Hoang, a forecaster with the weather service's Bay Area office.
There will also be a heat advisory, which is less severe than an excessive heat watch, in effect for inland portions of the Bay Area Friday through Sunday. "Hot temperatures in the 90s and low 100s could cause impacts to life and health," the agency said. "There is moderate to high risk to those who are heat sensitive, especially those without effective cooling or adequate hydration."
UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said in a talk on Monday that the heat event is unlikely to shatter temperatures records across the state, but it will still feel significant since it's the first big warm-up of the year.
"There's a chance that a couple places could could break a daily record or two by a degree or so," Swain said. "And it will feel hotter than it is, of course, because it's been so chilly, even as of late, that the transition will feel rather sudden. So it will be in the triple digits, and in some cases well into the triple digits in places like Sacramento and Bakersfield and Redding, as well as some other spots. This will be the first triple-digit day of the year in some of these places. And there will be increased heat, heat stress and heat risk associated with this event. It's a little bit disproportionate for what it would normally be this time of year simply because people haven't acclimated to it yet."
California saw an unusually chilly spring and start to summer due to a series of low-pressure systems, which are associated with cooling, pushing across the state. This pattern finally started to change on Wednesday, as high pressure began to build over the state, creating the conditions needed for warmer weather.
Source: SFGATE
