HEADING TO THE YUCATAN. THE TEMPERATURE IS NOW A BIT COLDER THAN YESTERDAY IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, NOW 69 DEGREES AT THE EXECUTIVE AIRPORT IN SACRAMENTO, AND 70 AT FAIRFIELD IN STOCKTON. I LOVE THE START OF THE DAY, BUT IT STILL GOES TO BE A VERY HOT DAY. WE DO HAVE A 15 MPH WIND IN FAIRFIELD. ELSEWHERE THERE IS A LIGHT TO DIRECT CALM CONDITION. YOUR VALLEY PLANNER HAS TEMPERATURES THAT WILL GET HIGHER AS WE REACH 4 AND 5:00 IN THE AFTERNOON. THAT IS THE HOTEST PART OF THE DAY, AT 7:00 PM IT IS ABOUT 107 DEGREES, STILL A TEMPERATURE OF 101 DEGREES. YOUR FOOTHILL PLANNER. PLENTY OF HEAT TOO WITH TRIPLE DIGITS IN THE AFTERNOON. FORECAST HIGH … THIS DOME OF HIGH PRESSURE OF HOT AIR IS OVER CALIFORNIA. IT’S CENTERING ITSELF AS WE GO THROUGH FRIDAY, SATURDAY, AND SUNDAY. AND THEN IT’S SLOWLY GOING TO WORK ITS WAY OUT. IT’S GOING TO LEAVE A LITTLE WEAK AREA OF LOW PRESSURE, AND THAT SHOULD HELP TO STRENGTHEN THE MARINE LAYER AND GIVE US BETTER DELTA BREEZE AND HELP COOL OUR TEMPERATURES. SOME, ESPECIALLY IN THE VALLEY, AS WE GO THROUGH NEXT WEEK, WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO FEEL THAT INFLUENCE AS WE GO INTO NEXT WEEKEND. SO YOUR SEVEN DAY FORECAST IS HERE. TODAY’S TEMPERATURE 107. SO STILL REALLY HOT. WE’RE LOOKING AT A TEMPERATURE OF 109 DEGREES ON FRIDAY. THAT COULD BE A RECORD HOT DAY ON SATURDAY. THE RECORD IS 105. AND WE’RE PREDICTING A HIGH OF 110 DEGREES. I DON’T REMEMBER THE LAST TIME I PREDICTED A DAYTIME HIGH OF FIVE DEGREES ABOVE THE RECORD. WOW. YOU GREW UP AROUND HERE. IS THIS THE LONGEST STRING OF HUNDREDS YOU EVER REMEMBER? UH, NO. REALLY? YES. WE HAVE BEEN A LONGER TIME, I THINK, BUT WE WILL SEE, BECAUSE AGAIN, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BREAK THE RECORD. IT IS VERY, VERY POSSIBLE. BUT NO
Heat wave in Northern California: What to know about the 4th of July forecast and fire danger
Updated: 06:56 AM PDT Jul 4, 2024
While several wildfires continue to burn in Northern California, there is a good chance that more wildfires could start on Thursday as the heat wave continues. KCRA 3 is declaring July 4th an Alert Day due to both the dangerous heat that can lead to health concerns and the high fire risk. Alert Days will last through Sunday. Here’s what you need to know about the day’s developments. As of Thursday morning, several fires are still burning in the region. Evacuations are still in effect near Oroville in Butte County for the Thompson Fire and south of Placerville for the Moccasin Fire burning in El Dorado County. Progress appears to have been made on the Moccasin Fire, as the number of acres burned has not changed since Tuesday. Some evacuation orders for the Thompson Fire have been downgraded to warnings. More fallout from the Thompson Fire: Oroville’s July 4th fireworks celebration has been canceled, and the city has banned safe and responsible fireworks. KCRA 3 saw at least one home survive, while others burned down due to a unique system that watered the roof. Butte County native Aaron Rodgers joined the North Valley Community Foundation in donating $100,000 to help evacuees from the fire. New fires on Wednesday included a blaze near Antelope in Placer County that prompted an evacuation warning and the Calvine Fire that raged in Elk Grove. Later, the Grubbs Fire in Palermo and the Adams Fire in Lake County both prompted evacuation orders. Meteorologist Tamara Berg said air quality could be an issue depending on how close you are to wildfires. You can check the air quality here . Some cooling centers in the region have extended their hours through Tuesday. What’s the forecast for the Fourth of July? The Fourth of July holiday is set to heat up quickly. Meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn said the morning will start out relatively cool, but by 1 p.m. some parts of the Sacramento Valley could see triple-digit temperatures. | RELATED | Where to Watch Fireworks in Northern CaliforniaThe forecast high is for similar temperatures to Wednesday, when some areas saw temperatures as high as 108 degrees. Verdoorn said temperatures could drop below 100 degrees Fahrenheit by 8 p.m. A high-pressure dome of hot air will remain over California, keeping temperatures high through the afternoon but not providing much relief at night. That will last through Sunday, but Verdoorn said that dome could move away by Monday, bringing in a slightly better Delta breeze to cool temperatures a bit. Friday and Saturday will be slightly warmer, in the mid-108s. Verdoorn said what makes Saturday’s high temperatures unique is that the forecast high of 113 degrees Fahrenheit is five degrees warmer than the record high of 106 degrees Fahrenheit. Next week will stay warm, but it won’t be as intense. The region is expecting highs in the 100-106 degree Fahrenheit range starting Monday. The KCRA 3 weather team is calling for Alert Days through Sunday and Impact Days Monday through Wednesday. Read more from Tamara Berg on why this heat wave is happening Read more as Heather Waldman looks back on Northern California’s longest heat wave. Read more about why north winds are dangerous during wildfire seasons Check out our Fire Threat Index below. | MORE | A 2024 guide to preparing for California wildfiresHere are more heat wave resourcesFind a list of cooling centers here. Find public pools to cool off at. Want to visit a water park? Here is a list of locations.Here’s how to tell the difference between sunburn, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.How to protect your pets from high summer temperaturesHere are important websites that are important to all California residents during wildfire season. Cal Fire wildfire incidents: Cal Fire tracks its wildfire incidents here. You can sign up here to receive text messages with Cal Fire updates on wildfires happening near your zip code. Wildfires on federal land: Federal wildfire incidents are tracked here.Preparing for power outages: Ready.gov explains how to prepare for a power outage and what to do when you return from a power outage here. Here’s how to track and report PG&E power outages.Stay informed when you lose power and cell service: Here’s how to find a National Weather Service radio station near you.Be prepared for road closures: Download the Caltrans QuickMap app or check the latest QuickMap road conditions here.REAL-TIME TRAFFIC MAPClick here to view our interactive traffic map.FOLLOW INTERACTIVE DOPPLER RADARClick here to view our interactive radar.DOWNLOAD OUR APP FOR THE LATEST NEWSHere’s where you can download our app.Follow our KCRA weather team on social mediaMeteorologist Tamara Berg on Facebook and X.Meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn on FacebookMeteorologist/climate reporter Heather Waldman on Facebook and X.Meteorologist Kelly Curran on X.Watch our forecasts on TV or onlineHere’s our latest video forecast. You can also watch a livestream of our latest news story here. The banner on our website will turn red when we’re live. We also stream via the Very Local app for Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV.
While several wildfires continue to rage in Northern California, more wildfires are likely to ignite on Thursday as the heat wave continues.
KCRA 3 calls July 4 an Alert Day because of both the dangerous heat that can lead to health problems and the high fire risk. Alert Days last through Sunday.
Below you can read what you need to know about the developments of that day.
Several fires were still raging in the region on Thursday morning.
What is the weather forecast for July 4th?
The Fourth of July holiday will heat up quickly. Meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn said the morning will start out relatively cool, but by 1 p.m., some parts of the Sacramento Valley could be seeing triple-digit temperatures.
| RELATED | Where to Watch Fireworks in Northern California
The predicted maximum temperature will be similar to Wednesday’s, when some areas reached 108 degrees. Verdoorn said temperatures could drop below 100 degrees by 8 p.m.
A high pressure dome of hot air will linger over California, keeping afternoon temperatures high but not providing much relief at night. That will last through Sunday, but Verdoorn said that dome could start to dissipate on Monday, allowing a slightly better Delta breeze to cool temperatures a bit.
Friday and Saturday will be a little warmer, around 42-43 degrees.
Verdoorn said Saturday’s high temperatures are unique because the predicted maximum temperature of 43 degrees Celsius is five degrees Celsius above the record temperature of 41 degrees Celsius.
Next week will remain warm, but less intense, with the region expecting highs in the 101-104 range starting Monday.
The KCRA 3 weather team calls for alarm days until Sunday and impact days from Monday to Wednesday.
See our fire threat index below.
| MORE | A 2024 Guide to How to Prepare for California Wildfires
Here are more resources for the heat wave
Below you will find important websites that are important to all California residents during the wildfire season.
REAL-TIME TRAFFIC MAP
Click here to view our interactive traffic map.
INTERACTIVE TRACKING, DOPPLER RADAR
Click here to view our interactive radar.
DOWNLOAD OUR APP FOR THE LATEST
Here you can download our app.
Follow our KCRA weather team on social media
- Meteorologist Tamara Berg on Facebook and X.
- Meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn on Facebook
- Meteorologist/climate reporter Heather Waldman on Facebook and X.
- Meteorologist Kelly Curran on X.
Watch our predictions on TV or online
Here you can find our latest video forecast. You can also watch a live stream of our latest news broadcast here. The banner on our website will turn red when we are live.
We also stream via the Very Local app for Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV.