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By Aliss Higham
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California is one of several states forecast to fall victim to the first major U.S. heat wave of 2024 this week, with the National Weather Service (NWS) issuing a slew of warnings for the Golden State.
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Maps from the NWS show areas currently under excessive heat warnings expected to become active throughout the week, with central California being the primary area affected. The exceedingly warm temperatures in the 90s and surpassing 100 degrees come from a persistent bubble of high pressure and warm air traveling upward from Mexico, where it has already claimed the lives of dozens of people.
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Antelope Valley and its foothills, Southern Salinas Valley, Indian Wells Valley, Kern River Valley and parts of the Mojave Desert are just some of the larger areas with excessive heat warnings expected to go live early in the morning on Wednesday. Urban centers including San Jose, San Francisco and the Bay Area, Fresno and Hanford are under either excessive heat warnings or heat advisories that are expected to last until just before the weekend in some cases.
NWS maps posted by the service on X, formerly Twitter, show a large stretch of central California, spanning from the north to the south of the state, under a level three heat level, which is likely to affect "anyone without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration." Surrounding areas, including coastal regions, are under a level two risk level, where the heat is expected to affect "most individuals."
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Those in areas covered by excessive heat warnings are urged to limit any outdoor activity to reduce time in the sun, stay in an air-conditioned place and to drink plenty of water while it's hot out.
"Heat related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat and high humidity events," the NWS said in one of its warnings. Children and pets should never be left in vehicles, even with cooling measures like air conditioning, as this can result in serious injury and even death.
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High temperatures over the weekend have already caused trouble in California. The Corral Fire began Saturday afternoon near the city of Tracy, 60 miles east of San Francisco. While evacuation orders in all areas were lifted at 6 p.m. local time on Monday, the fire has burned 14,168 acres so far and is 75 percent contained, according to California's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
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"The Corral Fire has become the first 10,000-acre fire this year in California," AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham told Newsweek. "Given the heat, dryness, and sunshine this week, there will likely be more fires breaking out that can quickly spread."
Scorching temperatures are also expected in the neighboring states of Nevada and Arizona. In Las Vegas and Phoenix, highs of more than 100 degrees have been predicted for the middle of this week. Further south in Texas, the Lower Rio Grande Valley can expect record-breaking temperatures of 117 degrees in the coming days.
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