Updated July 9, 2:37 p.m.
While it likely won’t be as sweltering as last week, forecasters are still warning that dangerously hot temperatures will persist in the Sacramento region this week.
Sacramentans have seen eight consecutive days of triple-digit heat, creating dangerous conditions for people without consistent access to air conditioning. Advocates say an unhoused man died over the weekend from heat stroke.
County and city leaders opened cooling centers at the start of the heat wave. The city of Sacramento extended operations at its centers through Sunday, and Sacramento County extended operations at the majority of its centers through Friday. Several community organizations have also opened their own cooling spaces.
Week begins with slight break from heat, but not for long
Chris Hintz, a meteorologist with the weather service in Sacramento, said temperatures in the first half of the week will range around the upper 90s to low 100s.
“Just looking at temperatures this morning, they're running about eight to 10 degrees cooler than they were yesterday morning at this time,” he told CapRadio on Monday. “We've dropped the heat warning for this area for today and tomorrow — but by Wednesday we start heating back up again.”
By Thursday the region is expected to see highs around 110 degrees. The weather service has issued an excessive heat warning for the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys between 11 a.m. Thursday and 8 p.m. Friday.
Gusty winds, low humidity increase possibility of wildfires
In addition to high heat, the region is also expected to see low humidity and gusty winds. The weather service is warning of elevated fire weather conditions through Friday.
Firefighters have reached 100% containment on the 3,789-acre Thompson Fire near Oroville, but several other small wildfires broke out over the weekend across Northern California.
That includes the 77-acre Pay Fire in El Dorado County and the 200-acre Royal Fire in El Dorado County. A group of 13 backpackers who went missing in the area where the Royal Fire broke out were found on Monday morning, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.
Unhoused man dies in Sacramento due to heat exhaustion, Homeless Union says
The Sacramento Homeless Union said an unhoused man died from heat exhaustion over the weekend after days of triple-digit temperatures.
Homeless Union President Crystal Sanchez said the man went by Snoop and was deaf. He died at the corner of Ahern and McCormack streets in the River District.
Sanchez pointed out his death came about a week after Sacramento County ended a contract delivering water to homeless encampments. The county says it ran out of federal COVID relief money for the program.
“People need water. There’s no ifs, ands, or buts,” she said. “People will not survive, especially in this heat wave, unprotected without hydration.”
Brandon Harmon lives in a tent about two blocks from where the man died. Harmon said he used to bring the man ice and wonders if his disability meant he missed supply distribution efforts by volunteers.
“When you come around announcing water, water, water, if nobody have you in mind and consider you, then you won’t get no water.”
A free mobile shower program plans to set up a temporary cooling center less than half a mile from where Snoop died.
Officials warn that heat illness and injury are cumulative and can build over the course of a day or days.
Weekend could be cooler after record-breaking heat
Over the weekend, temperatures broke daily records: Downtown Sacramento hit 113 degrees on Saturday, beating out the previous record for the date, 105 degrees in 1989.
"Normal for this time of the year is 92,” Hintz said. “So, we're still going to stay above normal through the week. The hottest [day] looks like [it will be] on Thursday, at around 110. But by next weekend, especially Sunday, we're calling for 95 right now which is slightly above normal."
But there is “an end in sight” for this long duration of heat, said fellow weather service Meteorologist Dakari Anderson, with temperatures expected to gradually decrease going into the weekend.
“By next weekend, we are expecting temperatures to finally cool down, returning back [to] just above normal or at normal for this time of year,” Anderson said on Monday morning.
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