Major heat wave expected to hit much of California next week

A major heat wave expected in California during the week of July 4 is already prompting heat warnings for much of the state, with triple-digit temperatures predicted and little relief overnight.

Forecasts are still developing for how extreme and widespread the heat will be, but weather officials are confident that inland California will see several days of dangerously hot conditions, expected from Tuesday through at least Friday.

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said the “big heat wave” also has the potential to bring high temperatures to the coast, which he called unusual for early July.

“There are early indications of record-breaking heat and a very high risk of brush and grass fires,” Swain wrote this week in X.

Along with high temperatures, officials warn that next week could see elevated fire conditions, especially Monday and Tuesday in the Sacramento Valley, when gusty winds will be particularly strong and humidity low.

The San Joaquin Valley continues to battle several large fires sparked this week following extreme electrical activity in the area, including the Fresno June Lightning Complex in eastern Fresno County, which as of Friday afternoon had surpassed 10,000. acres with 37% containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Basin Fire, further east in Fresno County, ignited Wednesday and had grown to 5,692 acres without containment.

Given the propensity of fireworks to start fires, Cal Fire officials remind residents to be safe and use them only on concrete and with water nearby.

An excessive heat warning has already been issued for much of California, from the northern Sacramento Valley to the Antelope Valley, from Tuesday through at least Friday. The advisory has also been extended to most of the Bay Area and much of southwestern California.

“Dangerously hot conditions are expected with high temperatures of 105 to 115,” according to the heat alert, while overnight lows will range from 60 to 80 degrees.

A strong high pressure system forming over the central Pacific Ocean is forecast to move to the West Coast early next week, when “a warm air mass will develop over the region,” the National Weather Service wrote. in his extended forecast. The weather pattern, known colloquially as a heat dome, is expected to be centered over Northern California.

“The heat could significantly impact outdoor vacation activities,” the weather service wrote in the excessive heat alert. “Area waterways will continue to cool rapidly, creating hazardous conditions for those seeking relief in rivers and lakes.”

By Thursday of next week, the National Weather Service will warn of a major to extreme heat risk, which officials say is “very dangerous for anyone without adequate hydration or adequate cooling.”

In Death Valley, temperatures are expected to reach 120 degrees next weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

Meanwhile, temperatures this weekend across the state are expected to be average or even slightly below normal seasonally ahead of rapid warming next week, forecasters said.

“If you are making outdoor plans [for the Fourth of July]“Big and/or small, keep an eye on the forecast as it evolves over this weekend (while enjoying the seasonal temperatures we are currently experiencing),” the weather service wrote in X.