Heat records could fall
High temp could break 67-year-old mark
The current heat wave will continue through Labor Day weekend and beyond, and Porterville could ring in the new month with the hottest September day in 67 years.
The spike in temperature in the Central Valley has been the result of a strong high pressure dome centered over Las Vegas, which is producing high temperatures across much of the Western United States that are more typical of mid-summer.
According to Intellicast.com, the highest temperature ever recorded in Porterville for the month of September was 109 degrees in 1950. Forecasts for Labor Day weekend predict highs to be between 105 and 110 degrees.
As a result, the National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Watch for Porterville and the surrounding areas from Sept. 1, 11 a.m. through Sept. 4, 9 p.m. Residents are advised to drink plenty of fluids, stay in air-conditioned rooms when possible, stay out of the sun, and check on relatives and neighbors.
The extended forecast calls for high temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above normal until next Thursday. The average high temperature in September for Porterville is 92 degrees.
High temperatures will continue to
have adverse effects on agriculture in the Valley. When asked about the impact of the heat wave on Central Valley crops, Kevin Lynott of the National Weather Service stated that intense heat wilts crops and plants become water deprived faster, even with aboveaverage rainfall this past winter and spring.
The high temperatures are not helping efforts to contain the Pier Fire east of Springville, either.
“Fires thrive under dry, hot conditions. Lots of heat transfer and low humidity, even without wind, can have catastrophic results,” said Lynott.
Statewide, heat is putting a strain on the energy grid. According to published reports, power outages have affected nearly 3,000 residents in Bakersfield, and more than 8,000 residents were without electricity in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, where a high temperature of 112 degrees was recorded.
The most unfortunate
consequence of the current weather pattern in the Central Valley may be its effect on Tropical Storm Harvey. The same high pressure system that is generating record temperatures in the Western US is also acting as a barrier against the remnants of Harvey’s low pressure
system, preventing it from advancing inland and dissipating.
Looking beyond the next seven days, weather services predict that high temps in the Central Valley will gradually begin to drop into double digits, moving closer to the average high for the month.