Record Summer Means Record High Temps Around California
According to NOAA, July 2012 was the Hottest Month on Record.
Stock up on water, 30 SPF sunblock and grab the best sunglasses you can find, because this weekend is going to be hot. The temperate and mild summers that California has enjoyed the last two-and-a-half years are going to be quickly forgotten with this weekend’s barometers rising to historic highs in some areas. According to weather reports from the National Weather Service (NWS), a high-pressure ridge of air is going to sit over the Western States, bringing the hottest temperatures of the last few years.
Click on the above video and see how the State responds to excessive heat conditions during the summer.
State officials are already seeing conditions that are reminiscent of the blistering summer of 2006, when a two-week heat wave choked the state’s power resources and more than 140 people died. Currently, Excessive Heat Watches, the second phase of emergency alerts for a heat wave, are already in effect for much of Southern and Central California. Check this map from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to see if your region is included.
Click the video above to check out what you can do to protect yourself and your family from a heat-related illness.
How is this going to impact California if it stays hot? Hot temperatures, combined with an already dry landscape across the state have fire officials on high alert in all areas between the Oregon and Mexico borders. The Southern Sierras appear to be at greatest risk with the additional threat of lightning storms in these already dry conditions. On the national scene, major fires have already scorched more than 2 million acres.
2012 Wildfire Activity
Here’s a quick breakdown on why this summer is so significant:
- The U.S. was 3.3°F above the averages of the entire 20th Century.
- This is the hottest summer in nearly 76 years for the lower 48 states.
- Summer 2012 is also the 5th driest on record.
- California had its fifth wettest July on record.
- Emergency drought conditions persist in 63% of the U.S.
Words by Brad Alexander | Multimedia by Brad Alexander, Robert Allingham and Jordan Scott. Alexander is the Media Outreach Coordinator, Allingham is the Television and Media Specialist and Scott is a Public Information Officer, all for the California Emergency Management Agency. You can reach any of them at media@calema.ca.gov.
