Fresno area breaking heat records, and the hot weather is sticking around
Hot temperatures in the central San Joaquin Valley broke records Friday.
It reached 111 degrees in Fresno by 5 p.m. That’s four degrees hotter than the city’s 107 degree record for June 18, set in 2017, said Brian Ochs, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service at Hanford.
Hanford in Kings County reached 110 degrees at 5 p.m., breaking its 108 degree record for June 18, set in 1917.
Visalia also reached 110 degrees at that time, tying its record from 1902, NWS meteorologist Jim Bagnall said.
Madera reached 109 degrees, just below its record.
“This is quite a bit hotter than it usually is,” Ochs said, adding the average high for the Fresno area is 93 degrees.
The Valley should expect similar highs close to 110 degrees over Father’s Day weekend, Ochs said, not dropping into the 90s until Tuesday, and then climbing back into the 100s by next Friday.
Fresno is expected to hit its record for the date on Saturday of 108 degrees, Ochs said, but will probably fall a few degrees short of reaching its Sunday record of 110 degrees.
The Valley is under an excessive heat warning through at least Sunday evening.
There is a chance that lightning, which sparked a wildfire near Mount Whitney early Friday, could continue until around sunset in the High Sierra, Ochs said. A few other fires were sparked by lightning in Tulare County.
The meteorologist listed a few precautions to stay safe in the heat, including: Drink lots of water, limit outdoor activity after 10 a.m. and in the afternoon, wear loose-fitting clothes, and check the backseat of vehicles before getting out to make sure children and pets aren’t left behind in a hot car.
Expect temperatures to remain warm overnight, too. Fresno recently had a nighttime low of around 79 degrees, Ochs said, and “I don’t see it getting much lower than that.”
This story was originally published June 18, 2021 at 5:17 PM.
