How hot did it get? Fresno poised to break record temperatures, Merced already has
Fresno and surrounding areas are poised to break temperature records – some more than 130 years old – during this weekend’s heat wave.
Some cities already have broken records.
Fresno, along with much of the central San Joaquin Valley, hit 111 on Friday. That did not break the city’s record for that day of 113, according to the National Weather Service.
Merced hit 108 Friday, breaking a record of 107 set in 1990.
More record-breaking temperatures
More records could be broken Saturday and Sunday, said meteorologist Andy Bollenbacher with the National Weather Service in Hanford.
Highs in Fresno are expected to be 111 on Saturday and 112 on Sunday. Sunday is expected to be the hottest day of the heat wave, which should let up on Wednesday with a return to a more normal high of 102.
“We may see records broken at both ends in Fresno tomorrow,” Bollenbacher said, referring to both low and high temperatures on Sunday.
The record maximum low temperature set for Fresno on July 11 was 82, set in 1888. Fresno is forecast to hit a low temperature of 84.
Sunday’s high could also easily break the record of 110, with a forecast 112 degrees.
A drought, a ridge of high pressure and long July days exposed to the sun are all combining to form the current heat wave, Bollenbacher said.
“You put these three things together and you have a perfect storm for an extreme heat warning,” he said.
Heat waves where the morning lows are unusually high are harder on people and livestock because it’s harder to recover from the heat.
Temperatures above 110 degrees are rare in Fresno and having multiple 110-degree days exceedingly so, according to Weather Service data. Since 1948, there have been less than a dozen instances of multiple 110-degree days.
Many Fresnans may remember 2006, when a July heat wave recorded temperatures above 113 for three days straight.
The city of Fresno is prepping for the onslaught by opening its Cooling Centers — all 10 of them, all at community centers. The Romain Playground, Holmes Playground, Inspiration Park, Einstein Park, Melody Park, Mary Ella Brown, Ted C. Wills, Frank H. Ball, Mosqueda and Pinedale community centers are all open from 1-7 p.m. until further notice.
What about power outages?
People are again being asked to conserve energy to avoid a possible shortage requiring rolling blackouts on Saturday.
The statewide Flex Alert runs from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday.
However, the energy forecast for Saturday from the California Independent System Operator has predicted statewide power usage falling below the state’s maximum capacity. If that forecast become reality, there won’t be any power outages.
The extreme heat is stressing energy supplies and the growing Bootleg wildfire in southern Oregon is threatening transmission lines, putting limits on how much power can be imported into California, the agency said.
This story was originally published July 10, 2021 at 10:16 AM.
