October starts in Modesto with record-breaking heat. How long will temperatures stay above normal?
After the reprieve a couple of weeks ago, there was hope that the summer heat may have subsided. This week proved that optimism wrong.
The National Weather Service forecast said the temperature in Modesto on Wednesday would be near 102 degrees. As of the 4 p.m. update on the Modesto Irrigation District weather page, it was 101 degrees. The daily high typically isn’t reached until late afternoon.
There is a heat advisory in effect for Modesto, with the hottest days expected to be Wednesday and Thursday. Thursday’s high is expected to reach up to 103 degrees.
Nathan Rick, a meteorologist with the NWS, said, “We’re looking at a pretty hot stretch continuing through the end of the weekend.”
Though it’s not unusual for the Northern San Joaquin Valley to have a hot early October, according to the records of the Modesto Irrigation District, Wednesday and Thursday are expected to reach record-breaking highs.
Melissa Williams, public affairs manager for MID, said the record for Oct 2 was 98 degrees, set in 2012. Wednesday’s heat knocked it out of first place.
“The weather page on our website is our most visited page,” she said. “Given the parallels to power demand and rainfall, especially with our watershed and irrigation customers, they rely on that data.”
She said there are no current concerns about meeting energy demands because evenings cool down. The largest uptick in usage was Sept. 6, 2022, at 760 megawatts. Usage is expected to be a bit lower Wednesday and steadily drop through the rest of the week. Still, it’s markedly higher than the last three years, Williams said.
“Though we don’t anticipate any issues, during extreme heat events, MID encourages customers to reduce electricity usage during the peak from 4 to 9 p.m.,” she said in an email. “And, ironically, today, October 2, is Energy Efficiency Day!”
The Climate Prediction Center estimates the Northern San Joaquin Valley will be in the upper 80s to low 90s, according to its 8-to-14-day temperature outlook.
“It doesn’t mean that it’s going to be in the triple digits again or anything,” said Jeffrey Woods, a meteorologist for the NWS. “It’s just they’re projecting that it’s still going to be a little bit warmer than we’re used to.”
The usual daily high temperature for the area is between 82 to 85 for this time of year Woods said.
To stay cool, Ruben Wegner of the Stanislaus County Office of Emergency Services recommends using the public cooling areas around the county (Vintage Faire Mall and other stores, libraries, the transit center, etc.) and notes there are also city specific cooling centers like the Modesto Senior Center which is open to all when it’s over 100 degrees during regular business hours.
“We just want everyone to make sure that they are prepared for the heat and to hydrate,” Wegner said. “Keep drinking water, find some shade and hopefully this warming trend will pass here by the end of the week.”