Deadly heat wave sweeps California. Here’s which cities broke records — and how hot it got

A heat wave has been slamming cities across California with triple-digit temperatures, shattering records and leaving at least one person dead.

Weather forecasts for several California cities, including Sacramento, Redding and Riverside, call for high temperatures in the high 90s and 100s.

Other parts of the state, such as Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo, will see highs in the 80s and 90s, the National Weather Service said.

Death Valley National Park — one of the hottest places on the planet — reached a record high temperature of 128 degrees on Saturday, the Los Angeles Times reported.

That’s just a few degrees shy of the all-time record of 134 degrees set on July 10, 1913.

One person visiting the park died from heat exposure, the Associated Press reported, and another person was hospitalized.

Here’s how hot it got across California.

Zalaeyah Kirk, 3, of Citrus Heights plays with apparatus at North Natomas Aquatic Complex as temperatures reach 103 degrees on Monday, July 1, 2024, in Sacramento. Her father, Xzavion Kirk, says she cries when they have to leave the pool and begs to stay.
Zalaeyah Kirk, 3, of Citrus Heights plays with apparatus at North Natomas Aquatic Complex as temperatures reach 103 degrees on Monday, July 1, 2024, in Sacramento. Her father, Xzavion Kirk, says she cries when they have to leave the pool and begs to stay.

Sacramento breaks records for heat streak, high temperatures

Triple-digit temperatures baked the Sacramento region during the entire Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Downtown Sacramento broke daily temperature records on Friday and Saturday, according to the weather service.

On Friday, the capital city recorded a high of 110 degrees, surpassing the record set on July 5, 2007, by two degrees.

Saturday’s high of 113 degrees shattered the 105-degree record set on July 6, 1989.

Sunday was the sixth consecutive day of high temperatures of 105 degrees or higher in Sacramento, according to the weather service. The heat streak matched similar six-day streaks set in September 2023, August 1996 and June 1985.

Grant Craton catches his son Finn, 4, as he dives into the Templeton pool, run by San Luis Obispo County Parks and Recreation. Temperature read 109 degrees in the pool parking lot on July 5, 2024.
Grant Craton catches his son Finn, 4, as he dives into the Templeton pool, run by San Luis Obispo County Parks and Recreation. Temperature read 109 degrees in the pool parking lot on July 5, 2024.

Redding records all-time high temperature

Redding and Stockton both smashed heat records on Saturday, the weather service said.

Redding reported an all-time high temperature of 119 degrees, beating the previous record by a single degree. The city also demolished the previous daily record of 111 degrees, set in 1984.

Stockton set a daily temperature record on Saturday with a high of 111 degrees, compared to 106 degrees in 1905.

Colton Hall of Templeton takes a dive off the high board at the Atascadero High School pool. Hot weather has kids flocking to pools all over San Luis Obispo County.
Colton Hall of Templeton takes a dive off the high board at the Atascadero High School pool. Hot weather has kids flocking to pools all over San Luis Obispo County.

Which other California cities saw record-breaking weather?

Fresno, Hanford and Merced all bested records for high temperatures on Saturday, according to the service’s Hanford office.

Fresno had a high of 112 degrees on Saturday, just one degree above the temperature record set in 1905. It also reported a record low temperature of 81 degrees, compared to 78 degrees in 2007.

Merced recorded a high of 111 degrees on Saturday, blasting a 108-degree record set in 1931.

Meanwhile, Hanford eclipsed another daily high-temperature record set in 105 — 111 degrees — with a high of 113 degrees.

Record-breaking heat continued in the Central Valley on Sunday, the weather service said.

Fresno had a high of 114 degrees that day, three degrees higher that its 1905 record. The city also beat its daily low temperature record of 76 degrees, set in 2014, with a low of 81.

Hanford bested its 1905 heat record of 113 degrees by a single degree, and tied with a low-temperature record of 72 degrees set in 2001.

Two-year-old Parker Beverly cools off with her dog River in the mist of North Natomas Regional Park on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022.
Two-year-old Parker Beverly cools off with her dog River in the mist of North Natomas Regional Park on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022.

Merced set a daily heat record with a high of 111 degrees, compared to 109 degrees in 1941.

Madera, which had a high of 110 degrees, topped a heat record set in 1921 by one degree. It also tied with its low-temperature record of 73 degrees from 1936.

Also on Sunday, Bakersfield tied with its high-temperature record of 114 degrees, set in 1905, and surpassed its low-temperature record from 1968 by a single degree with 82 degrees.

Hot weather drew big crowds to Pismo Beach on Saturday, despite the county’s stay-at-home order.
Hot weather drew big crowds to Pismo Beach on Saturday, despite the county’s stay-at-home order.

What about the Central Coast?

In San Luis Obispo County, Paso Robles burst a 17-year-old temperature record on Friday.

The North County city reached 112 degrees, breaking the previous 110-degree record for the same day in 2007.

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