The heat is on! Fresno breaks a 46-year-old mark. This is how hot it got
Wednesday was a record-breaking day in Fresno as temperatures reached 105 degrees.
That broke a 46-year-old mark set in 1974 when the high on May 27 reached 104.
By noon Wednesday, the temperature had reached 97 degrees. At 3 p.m., it was 102. At 4:20 p.m., the official thermometer at Fresno Yosemite International Airport read 105, said Bill South, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Hanford office.
Near-record-breaking heat is expected to hit the Fresno area again on Thursday: The weather service forecast is a high of 106, which would tie the record for the date set in 1984. (UPDATE: It reached 105 for a high Thursday.)
Wednesday’s high temperature is 19 degrees above normal, South said.
A relief is in sight with Friday’s forecast high of 100 before a cool-down when high temperatures are expected in the 80s by early next week.
An excessive heat warning will be in effect through Thursday.
Reminder on cooling centers
The city of Fresno will continue to open cooling centers Thursday from 1 to 7 p.m. at the Ted C. Wills Community Center, 770 N. San Pablo Ave., and the Frank H. Ball Neighborhood Center, 760 Mayor Ave.
According to a news release, cooling center workers will follow state guidelines for social distancing, sanitation and health screening and will have protective facial covering available for all visitors.
In addition to opening the cooling centers, the city’s FAX bus system will provide free transportation along normal routes to and from cooling center sites when the centers are open. To ride free, residents must indicate they are traveling to a cooling center.
Elsewhere:
▪ Hanford will open its cooling center at the Longfield Center, 560 S. Douty St., from 1 to 8 p.m.
▪ Madera will open its cooling center at the John W. Wells Youth Center Gymnasium, 701 E. 5th St., from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily through Friday.
▪ Merced will have a cooling zone from 3 to 8 p.m. in the Sam Pipes Room in City Hall, 678 W. 18th St.
This story was originally published May 27, 2020 at 5:20 PM.
