SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A heat wave will persist in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys with highs close to 100 through the week.
A stubborn weather pattern across the West is bringing a string of 100s in the forecast. High temperatures in the 100s started July 10.
Sacramento Executive Airport hit a high of 104 degrees on Saturday and Sunday, which made them the hottest days of the year so far for that weather station.
Sunday was even hotter for some places in the valley.
A strong ridge of high pressure is set up across the area bringing sinking, warming air. This will stop the cooler marine air from entering inland through the valley.
Many Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys were hitting top temperatures 10 to 12 degrees above normal. Mid-July is typically the hottest time of the year with average highs close to 92 degrees.
July is off to a very warm start. All the days highlighted in red on the graph below indicate above average high temperatures.
Records are also extreme this time of year ranging from 105 to 114 degrees. No record highs have been hit yet, and it looks like most areas will stay just shy of breaking any through the week.
Air Quality can be another issue with these types of summer weather patterns since very little air flows through the valley from the Pacific. Pollution that builds through driving and gas-powered machines will sit over the valley for days at a time.
This stretch of heat can be particularly dangerous because there isn't a lot of relief during the day.
Knowing the risks and limits will be important through this stretch. Below are the differences between heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
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Right now, it looks like this pattern will break by the upcoming weekend when highs drop below 100 degrees for the entire area.
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