Dangerous heat and fire weather concerns Thursday, warming further Friday
Temperatures soar 5-15 degrees Thursday! We will wake up with a few areas of patchy fog, but these clouds dont last long. The area begins to heat quickly as soon as the sun rises. The temperature difference from yesterday to today will be stark and noticeable. Highs climb into the 70s and upper 80s by the beaches, 90s and well above triple digits inland. We have the chance at beating daily records with this heat, especially for some areas near Lompoc and Santa Maria! Make sure to check in on those at risk and stay cool.
Friday will be copy and paste, if not a few degrees warmer. With two high pressure systems causing this heat wave, we have an abundance of hot and dry air in the area. To make matters worse, the position of high pressure is causing offshore flow. This means northeasterly winds warm the area further, decrease the chance of marine layer coverage and cause fire weather concerns. It will be one of the hottest days of the year, humidity values will be extreme ely low and winds pick up by the afternoon. Just one spark could cause rapidly spreading fires, firefighters will be at a disadvantage with weather conditions. Heat safety is imperative too. Heat related illness can happen quickly, know the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Avoid peak heating hours, and check in on your kids after school program. Some may be pushed back in the day for safety purposes.
The heat sticks around Saturday. Temperatures remain close to 15 degrees above average. Heatwaves are the most dangerous when its multiple days of heat, so keep checking in on those at risk. Offshore flow keeps the marine layer from forming, which is usually the buffer between the beaches and the heat. This means coastal areas stay well above average and it will be a dry and bright day. By Sunday high pressure begins to move out of the area and we cool off a few degrees. By Monday and Tuesday of next week we begin to cool down more and onshore flow returns.
