Valley about to melt in new heat wave

Get ready to get hot again. Starting Friday, the central San Joaquin Valley will bake under a new round of triple-digit temperatures.

The National Weather Service said the year’s sixth spell of daytime highs over 100 degrees will begin Friday, when Fresno’s high is forecast to be 101 degrees. “It will begin Friday and last for at least five days,” the NWS said on its website. “Whether it becomes the Valley’s longest string this year remains to be seen.”

The cause is high pressure that allows the air to heat up and dry out. A ridge of high pressure will move from the eastern Pacific and be right over California by this weekend. It will make for sunny, hot days and warm evenings, with lows in the upper 60s to lower 70s.

Besides being hot, the air becomes stagnant, making for worsening air quality. Westerly winds aloft will blow smoke from wildfires burning near Coalinga and in Big Sur to the Valley, the weather service said.

This story was originally published August 10, 2016 at 3:53 PM with the headline "Valley about to melt in new heat wave."