How to protect yourself and your loved ones in extreme heat
Watch this video for tips on applying sunscreen, how to protect your children, and where to find the seven cooling centers in the Coachella Valley.
High temperatures continue to impact Californians across the state on Friday.
Temperatures of 90 degrees and above were reached in dozens of Southern California cities just before 6 a.m., the San Diego National Weather Service posted on social media.
This happened while extreme heat warnings had been issued across California for days and a heat record had been set in at least one city.
This unfortunate title goes to Indio, the 121 degrees on September 5beating the previous record set in 2020 by one degree, according to NWS San Diego.
What causes this heat?
The main reason Californians are suffering from the heat is a ridge or high pressure area over southern Nevada and Southern California, said Dave Munyan, a meteorologist with NWS San Diego.
In simple terms, these ridges allow air to collect and sink. Munyan explained that there is a relationship between pressure and temperature, and that when the air is compressed, it heats up. Hotter weather is generally seen beneath these ridges, which span several states.
The ridge began “getting very strong” on Thursday and will hold through Friday and over the weekend. It has refused to weaken and move out of our area, he said. That’s why people checking the weather forecasts for the week may have noticed a slight increase in temperatures on Sunday or even Monday, Munyan said.
What’s the weather like right now?
High temperatures will continue to prevail across California on Friday and throughout the weekend, bringing with them heat advisories and other heat warnings. Here are just a few of the triple-digit temperatures forecast for the entire state, according to various NWS offices in California:
- A heat warning with temperatures reaching 46 degrees Celsius is in effect for parts of southwest California, including Santa Clarita, Thousand Oaks, Burbank and East Los Angeles, until Monday evening.
- A heat warning with maximum temperatures of up to 48 degrees Celsius is in effect in the western San Fernando Valley until Monday evening. In the Inland Empire, where a heat warning is also in effect during the same period, temperatures between 39 degrees Celsius and 46 degrees Celsius can be expected.
- A heat warning is in effect for parts of Central California, including Bakersfield, Tulare, Merced and Fresno, until Saturday evening. Temperatures will range between 39 and 42 degrees.
- A heat advisory is in effect for Sacramento, Redding, Stockton and other cities in the Carquinez Strait and Delta, Sacramento Valley, northern San Joaquin Valley and surrounding foothills through Friday evening, with temperatures expected to range between 38 and 42 degrees Celsius.
- A heat warning is also in effect for the deserts of the Coachella Valley and San Diego County on Friday, with highs of between 45 and 49 degrees Celsius forecast.
When will the heat end?
A cooling trend will bring temperatures back to near average levels next week, NWS San Diego posted on social media, and the deserts will get some moisture again – the first sign that things are getting better, Munyan said.
A drier monsoon season contributed to the slight warming, he said. A wetter air mass is harder to warm (and cool) than a drier air mass, he said.
Paris Barraza is a trends reporter covering California for The Desert Sun. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @ParisBarraza.
