Valley to get taste of triple-digits temperatures

Triple-digit temperatures are expected to return to the central San Joaquin Valley on Wednesday, giving residents a taste of normal summer weather for at least two days.

Clouds will move in by Friday with monsoonal moisture pushing temperatures down into the 90s over the weekend, said William Peterson, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford.

Fresno’s high temperature Wednesday is forecast to hit 105 degrees and 103 on Thursday. The moisture will bring with it isolated dry thunderstorms hitting the Kern County mountains and desert first, then higher terrain by Thursday. There could be a slight chance of showers in the Fresno area over the weekend, Peterson said.

The weather has been anything but normal this summer. By this time of year, there are a few 108 and 110-degree days and even a few in the 80s, Peterson said.

“It’s been in the middle of the extremes. I wouldn’t call it normal right now,” he said.

The anticipated heat has prompted the city of Fresno and Visalia to open their cooling centers for the day. Visalia plans to keep the Transit Center, 425 E. Oak Ave., open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday too. Fresno will monitor conditions, but has not decided whether to remain open, said city spokesman Mark Standriff.

Fresno cooling centers will be open noon to 8 p.m. Four city pools will also be open for free recreational swimming between 1 and 5 p.m.

Cooling centers in other Valley communities open their doors when the temperatures hit 105 degrees. Residents are encouraged to check city websites and to call local city halls for more information.

This story was originally published July 28, 2015 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Valley to get taste of triple-digits temperatures."