Welcome to another heat wave. Triple-digit temperatures on tap for Southern California and other parts of the country, and yet no one seems to be looking closely at the other side of the coin: the extreme heat waves that are ravaging parts of the US.
Last week marked the seventh-biggest heat wave in California’s history, and it was far hotter than historical averages for the date. For instance, this past June was the 12th-biggest temperature of the year and California is experiencing six-month highs of 105 °F for the month of July.
In fact, California has seen an average heat wave for the last three days, and the heat is only going to get hotter as the week progresses. This will bring record heat for the week, according to National Weather Service forecasters.
“This is one of the most intense heat events we’ve had,” forecaster Mike Fuchs told KTLA.com.
Temperatures are forecast to remain in the triple digits the next few days in the San Diego area. A total of 11 heat warnings have been issued, mostly warning of possible heat extremes, and some are even expected to remain strong over the next day or two.
“One of the problems is that we’re in an air-conditioned world, so we have this heat-sucking air flow,” Fuchs said. “And because it’s air-conditioned, we don’t have as much evaporation, so it’s like a little bit of a rain.”
It is not just the city of San Diego dealing with high heat. According to the National Weather Service, the inland region of Los Angeles County, which is home to about 7.2 million people, has been dealing with the hottest weather this summer.
It is likely worse outside of Los Angeles. The weather service is currently forecasting a heat index of 101 °F for the Bay