The National Weather Service has issued a heatwave warning for most of California, beginning at noon today and not ending until Monday or even Tuesday. This will be the second heat dome over the state since the beginning of summer. It follows the record-shattering temperature extremes that blistered the Pacific Northwest killing people by the hundreds. Some fear that this heat dome may even break the OR, WA, and BC records.
It will be difficult for living creatures to cool off at any point as nighttime temperatures will also be hot in many areas in the west. The residents along the coasts will be spared the worst of this crisis. Parts of Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, Mexico, New Mexico, and Arizona will also be negatively impacted.
The hottest weather is forecast for the weekend. The Sacramento Valley is projected to reach a record-breaking 115 degrees on Saturday and Sunday. Temperatures will run even higher in Death Valley, which may hit 123 on Saturday. Coastal regions will still be very hot, but spared from the extreme heat by marine air. Very minor relief from the heat could come on Monday; the Central Valley will still be dealing with temperatures up to 110 degrees
Central Valley locations “will be extremely warm overnight, where high minimum temp records may be achieved as well,” wrote the Weather Service in Sacramento. Warm overnight lows are especially dangerous for anyone without air conditioning because they make it difficult for the body to enter its natural cooling phase.
It’s not just central California that will be experiencing saunalike warmth. Salt Lake City could be near 100 degrees each day through Monday. Las Vegas will be scorched by heat that’s extreme even for the Nevada desert, with highs in the 110s likely through Tuesday. Both weekend days could peak near 117 degrees. In Las Vegas, a hint of monsoonal moisture sneaking in from the southwest could help hold overnight lows in the 90s.
“Boosted cloud cover and higher surface dew points will keep nighttime temperatures elevated and minimize nocturnal relief,” warned the Weather Service in Las Vegas.
The NY Times writes on the role of the climate crisis in these recent heatwaves.
While tying a single heat wave to climate change requires extensive attribution analysis, scientists in Europe found that the recent extreme heat in the West Coast would almost certainly not have happened without it, because the jump in temperatures was so erratic. And in general, it is settled fact that heat waves around the world are lasting longer and growing more frequent and more dangerous.
The 2018 National Climate Assessment, a major scientific report by 13 federal agencies, noted that the number of hot days was increasing and that the frequency of heat waves in the United States had jumped from an average of two per year in the 1960s to six per year by the 2010s. Also, the season for heat waves had stretched to 45 days longer than it was in the 1960s, according to the report.
It is all part of an overall warming trend: The seven warmest years in the history of accurate worldwide record-keeping have been the last seven years, and 19 of the 20 warmest years have occurred since 2000. Last year tied with 2016 as the hottest year on record, according to one analysis.
Mr. Ferguson said his office was preparing for what it calls an “asymmetrical event.” He said this weekend could present simultaneous competing challenges, with the state facing extreme heat, fire warnings and the possibility of electricity shortages all happening at once.
Attached is a comprehensive list of cooling centers in impacted areas of California. If you have no air conditioning or your ac is not handling the heat, please pack a bag and flee to one of the centers near you. Stay safe.
Our wildlife friends certainly love a drink in weather such as this; if you can be sure to leave water outside for them, it would be a meaningful kindness.