After a recent stretch of cool temperatures up and down the state, our luck seems to have run out: A heat dome is expected to arrive today in California, bringing three days of scorching temperatures to inland areas from Palmdale all the way north to Redding.
Some parts of the state are expected to see their first triple-digit temperatures since last summer, with readings that are predicted to be 20 degrees higher than normal for early June — and a big change from late May. “This is going to be quite a shock to the system,” said Scott Rowe, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Heat domes form when atmospheric conditions act like a lid on a pot, preventing precipitation and the release of hot air. They block the breezes that would otherwise draw cool ocean air into the Central Valley from San Francisco, Rowe said.
The one we’re in for this week is expected to last through Thursday and to drive temperatures in the Sacramento Valley as high as 102 today and 106 tomorrow. Forecasters expect peak readings of 106 degrees in Redding, 104 in Modesto and 103 in Fresno.
Abnormally high, but not quite as blazing, temperatures are also expected in the San Francisco Bay Area, with highs today of 97 in Napa and 81 in San Francisco.
Los Angeles, however, will not be feeling the burn. The weather pattern known as “June gloom” — low clouds and fog near the coast, especially in the morning — should prevent temperatures this week from rising past the low 80s downtown, forecasters said.
When the weather is scorching, experts recommend staying hydrated and remaining indoors during the day if you can. They also caution against leaving children or pets in parked cars, noting that “car interiors will reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes.”
Amy Palmer, a spokeswoman for California’s Office of Emergency Services, told my colleague that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office was “actively watching the heat expected,” with plans to “step up outreach for people who don’t have easy access to hydration and air-conditioning.”
The weather this week may be a preview of what’s to come this summer: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it’s likely that the West will have above-average temperatures from June through August.
The rest of the news
Rubio’s Coastal Grill, a restaurant chain based in Carlsbad, abruptly closed 48 of its California stores because of what it said were rising costs, The Los Angeles Times reports.
Southern California
Skeletal remains discovered in a plastic bag near Los Angeles in 1985 have been identified as those of a woman who was born in 1864 and died more than a century ago.
Experts in San Diego are using new DNA technology to find great white sharks in the area, NBC 7 reports.
Central California
The largest wildfire in California so far this year, the Corral fire, was 75 percent contained by firefighters late Monday after burning more than 22 square miles of land, The Associated Press reports.
Northern California
Officials in the San Francisco Bay Area, supported by activists who are concerned about the high rates of smoking among L.G.B.T.Q. people, are advocating stricter tobacco rules in the state, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
An affordable housing complex under construction in Redwood City was labeled a “total loss” by officials after a devastating fire Monday morning. About 150 people were temporarily evacuated from the surrounding neighborhood while the fire raged, KRON reports.
And before you go, some good news
Today is the first day of Bouquets to Art, a delightful exhibition that has been staged annually at the de Young Museum for 40 years.
Bouquets to Art offers highly skilled floral designers a chance to create arrangements inspired by classic artworks. Visitors can then wander the de Young, admiring not only the paintings and sculptures, but also beautiful bouquets of flowers.
Thanks for reading. We’ll be back tomorrow.
P.S. Here’s today’s Mini Crossword.
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The post A Developing Heat Wave Will Be a ‘Shock to the System’ appeared first on New York Times.
