California heat wave sets records in Sacramento. Here’s when the hot temperatures may subside
The hot spell that’s baked Northern California in triple-digit temperatures for nearly a week has broken several records in Sacramento — though forecasters say it’s starting to wind down.
Record high temperatures were recorded Friday and Saturday in downtown Sacramento, during a week that went well beyond the averages for this time of year. Sunday set another milestone with the sixth consecutive day of high temperatures topping out at 105 degrees or above, according to the National Weather Service.
Friday’s temperature of 110 degrees was two degrees higher than the 2007 record for July 5, and Saturday’s high of 113 degrees shattered the previous 105 on July 6 recorded in 1989, the weather service’s Sacramento office said.
With Sunday’s high of 105 — as well as Thursday’s max temperature of 109 (one degree from the 1991 record for the date), Wednesday’s high of 107 and Tuesday’s high of 106 — the streak matched three six-day streaks set in September 2023, August 1996 and June 1985. Those prolonged periods of heat were surpassed only by two seven-day streaks of 105-plus set in August 1990 and July 2013, according to the weather service.
The weather service also said that the time period’s cooling degree days totaled 149, surpassing the typical 72. Cooling degree days are calculated to measure energy expenditure needed for air conditioning on hot days.
The hottest day in Sacramento’s history happened Sept. 6, 2022, with a new record of 116 degrees. The city’s longest stretch of 100 degree days was an 11-day heat wave in 2009.
What’s in the forecast?
According to forecasters, temperatures are expected to top out Monday at 104 degrees in Sacramento, with Tuesday’s forecast to be one degree below the century mark. However, another round of hot temperatures — 106 on Wednesday and 109 on Thursday — will return through the end of the workweek before conditions drop into the high 90s again.
Here’s how the next several days could shape up in the capital city, according to the weather service:
Monday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 103 and a light breeze. Overnight, lows to 62.
Tuesday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 99. Lows through the night could reach 63 degrees thanks to a strong Delta breeze.
Wednesday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 106. Lows in the upper 60s to low 70s.
Thursday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 109. Lows in the upper 60s to low 70s.
Friday: Still sunny and hot; highs near 104. Nighttime temperatures to be around 67.
Saturday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 101. Lows in the mid 60s.
Sunday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 97.
