Triple-digit heat returning to Northern California, with Sacramento peaking Saturday
Serious heat is returning to Northern California in the coming days, with Sacramento expected to reach 105 degrees this weekend, forecasts show.
Temperatures near the capital are expected to elevate from Wednesday’s mid-90s to about 99 degrees Thursday, 103 Friday and 105 by Saturday, according to the latest National Weather Service forecasts.
Highs in the Sacramento area could then linger in the low 100s through at least Tuesday.
The local forecast office has issued an excessive heat watch, in place noon Saturday through at least 9 p.m. Sunday, for effectively the entire Sacramento Valley. Highs throughout the valley could range from 100 to 108 degrees, while temperatures in the foothills and near the Delta could be from 95 to 103 degrees. The Lake Tahoe area could approach 90 degrees both Saturday and Sunday.
The weather service reminds people to drink extra water and avoid strenuous outdoor activities in the middle of the day.
Although temperatures will be well above normal for mid-August, when the average high is about 91 degrees, cooling centers are unlikely to be opened. The threshold to do so, in Sacramento and Yolo counties for example, is three straight days of 105 degrees or higher.
Local officials do have the option to open cooling centers if temperatures don’t reach that threshold, but they declined to do so amid triple-digit stretches earlier this summer.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic continues to keep a number of indoor public spaces closed, leaving Sacramento’s homeless population with few options for air-conditioned respite from the summer heat.
Saturday’s expected 105-degree mark would tie an all-time record for that date in Sacramento, which was set last year.
