Heat wave that blasted Fresno is ending and excessive rain on way. Will storm make it here?

Though an excessive heat warning remained in place Friday for Fresno and much of the central San Joaquin Valley, the National Weather Service is calling for a break in the heat wave that set temperature records across the region this week.

Fresno hit 111 degrees on Wednesday, making it the hottest Sept. 7 in the city’s recorded history.

On Thursday, the city a set record for highest daily minimum temperature at 78 degrees — and it is expected to once again be near the daily maximum record of 107 on Friday.

At the same time, Tropical Storm Kay is moving north-northwest just off the coast of northern Baja California. According to the National Weather Service, the storm should turn westward Friday afternoon and weaken into a Tropical Depression on Saturday.

While this will keep the strongest winds to the south, temperatures in the Valley will be markedly lower — as much as 10 to 15 degrees.

And there could be rain, as tropical moisture from the storm moves into the region.

Tropical moisture is notorious for high rainfall rates and training cells that could result in flash flooding, according to the weather’s service’s daily forecast, which called for excessive rainfall in parts of the southern Sierra Nevada and in the Kern County mountains and desert.

A flash flood watch has been issued for those areas.

Fresno could see some rain, though it is expected to be less than a tenth of an inch.

Wildfires trigger air quality advisory

Along with the heat, the Valley is also contending with air quality issues stemming from the Rogers Fire in Tuolumne County, the Red Fire in Mariposa County, the Mosquito Fire in Placer County and others. On Thursday, the Valley Air District issued an Air Quality Advisory through the weekend.

This story was originally published September 9, 2022 at 10:42 AM.