Sweltering weather is moving into much of California over the next few days, and Fresno could reach 102 degrees by Monday, the earliest date the city has ever hit that mark since records began. The Central Valley could top 100 degrees for the first time this year, while Palm Springs could climb to 108 and Death Valley to 111.
That kind of heat is landing just as Mother’s Day weekend begins, when forecasters expect the 80s in downtown Los Angeles, Pasadena and Simi Valley and an extreme heat watch already covers Palm Springs, the rest of the Coachella Valley, the deserts of San Diego County and the San Gorgonio Pass from Mother’s Day morning through Tuesday evening. Another watch took effect Sunday morning for swaths of Imperial County and is set to run through Monday night.
Fresno’s forecast stands out because 102 degrees would be the earliest in the year the thermometer has reached that level there, beating the previous early mark of May 12, 2013. Brian Ochs, a meteorologist, said people will not be as used to it, a warning that matters because the temperature jump is arriving before many residents have had time to adjust.
The heat does not stop in the Valley. Forecasters warned of elevated fire danger across Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, the Kern County desert and the slopes of the Mojave Desert. Barstow could hit 102 degrees by Monday, Borrego Springs 107, Palm Springs 108 and Death Valley 111, while afternoon temperatures could reach 112 in Imperial County.
In Southern California, Sunday is expected to bring 77 degrees in Irvine, 82 in Anaheim, 83 in downtown Los Angeles, 86 in Pasadena, 89 in Ontario and Riverside, 91 in Santa Clarita, 93 in Paso Robles and San Bernardino, 94 in Lancaster and 106 in Palm Springs. By Monday, the same forecast rises to 81 in Irvine, 86 in downtown Los Angeles and Anaheim, 91 in Pasadena, 93 in Riverside, 94 in Ontario, 95 in Santa Clarita, 97 in Lancaster, 98 in San Bernardino and 108 in Palm Springs. The coolest spots are expected along the coast, with San Clemente near 70 on Monday, Oceanside 72, San Diego 73 and Ventura 76.
Forecasters across the state are advising residents to take action to avoid heat illness. The weather service in Oxnard urged people to limit strenuous outdoor activities to the early morning hours and stay in well-shaded areas or air conditioned spaces. In the San Francisco Bay Area, a moderate risk of heat illness is in place for Mother’s Day weekend and beyond, especially inland, with adults 65 and older, infants, athletes, outdoor workers, people with chronic diseases and those without effective cooling among the groups most at risk.
The danger reaches into daily routines, too. Meteorologists told people in the San Joaquin Valley to walk dogs before dawn or after dusk and to keep them off asphalt. They also said horses and livestock need troughs filled daily because water use can double in the heat. In a state where this month along the coast is usually linked to May gray, the pattern is different this year, and the combination of heat, dry air and wind-ready terrain gives fire crews another problem to watch as the weekend unfolds.
