A major heat wave is expected across much of California during the week of July 4, with heat warnings already in effect in some areas, with temperatures expected to reach triple digits and little relief from overnight temperatures.
Forecasts of how extreme and widespread the heat will be are still developing, but weather officials believe inland California is expected to experience several days of dangerously high temperatures Tuesday through at least Friday.
Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said a “major heat wave” could also bring high temperatures to the coast, which he said would be uncommon in early July.
“Early indications are that record high temperatures and extremely high grass/bush fire risks are possible,” Swain wrote on X.
The National Weather Service wrote in an extended forecast that a strong high-pressure system formed over the central Pacific is expected to move into the West Coast early next week, when “hot air masses will form in the area.” The weather pattern, commonly known as a “heat dome,” is expected to be centered in Northern California.
Confidence is growing about next week’s heat wave, centered around the Fourth of July. If you’re making outdoor plans big or small, keep an eye on this weekend’s weather forecast (while enjoying our current seasonal temperatures). #CAwx pic.twitter.com/Y8vXARj8Tf
— New Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) June 27, 2024
Heat warnings have been issued for much of California’s interior, from the northern Sacramento Valley to the southern Central Valley, from Tuesday through at least Friday.
Heat Watch said “dangerously high temperatures of 105 to 115 degrees” are expected, while overnight lows will be in the low 60s to around 80 degrees.
Through next Thursday, the National Weather Service is issuing a warning of severe to extreme heat risks, which officials say are “extremely dangerous for anyone who is not properly hydrated or adequately cooled.”
Temperatures in Death Valley are expected to reach 120 degrees by next weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
Temperatures across the state are expected to be average to just below seasonal normal this weekend and will warm rapidly next week, forecasters said.
“If you are making outdoor plans [for the Fourth of July]No matter how big or small, please keep an eye on the weather forecast for this weekend (while enjoying the seasonal temperatures we are currently getting),” the weather service wrote on X.
