Get ready for seven days of scorching heat, but it won’t be like 2006 disaster

Residents in the Northern San Joaquin Valley can expect seven straight days of triple-digit temperatures, and are advised to take precautions against heat-related illness.

The temperatures in the Modesto area could break records in the coming week. The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for Saturday and Sunday and will have an excessive heat warning in effect from Sunday to Tuesday. A daytime high of 106 degrees is forecast for Sunday, climbing to 108 on Monday and Tuesday.

The hot temperatures are expected to peak Tuesday and taper off to the low 100s later next week.

The Stanislaus County Health Services Agency advised people to prepare for the hot spell. Cooling centers will be open next week in Modesto and other communities so people with no shelter from the heat can cool off.

“If people don’t have air conditioning or people lose power, they should try to find a place with cooler temperatures for a few hours a day,” said Dr. Julie Vaishampayan, county public health officer.

Vaishampayan said that seniors and small children are particularly vulnerable because they have a harder time regulating body temperature and adjusting to extreme heat. Prescription medication taken by some seniors may contribute to dehydration, she added.

According to the National Weather Service, the temperatures will be less intense than an unusual heat wave that struck the valley in 2006 and claimed 23 lives in Stanislaus County.

Jim Mathews, a National Weather Service forecaster in Sacramento, said the July 2006 heat wave was 12 straight days over 100 degrees.

On three consecutive days (July 23-25, 2006), the weather service recorded temperatures in the region between 111 and 113. The average high for the 12-day period was 107 degrees, Mathews said.

In addition, the warm temperatures lingered into the night, robbing vulnerable people of the chance to recover from the heat. In July 2006, the lows at night were in the high 70s to low 80s and were as high as 86 degrees in Modesto. From Saturday to Tuesday of next week, the overnight lows are projected in the mid- to high 70s.

“The hottest days next week will be around 108 on Tuesday and 107 on Wednesday,” Mathews said. “With the prolonged heat (in 2006) and the lack of cooling at night, that heat wave had a great impact on the public and on animals.”

What made things even worse in 2006 were “heat index” readings that were off the charts. The heat index is a measure of warm temperature intensified by atmospheric humidity. It’s what the heat feels like to the human body on humid days.

Heat waves in California, including the current one, are usually caused by high-pressure ridges over the desert region of the southwestern United States, which push warm air into the Sierra foothills and Central Valley. The hot spell in 2006 was influenced by “monsoon” conditions from Mexico that typically move into Arizona in the summer, Mathews said.

Modesto’s heat index was as high as 118 during July 2006. As a result, some of the hottest days felt like it was closer to 120 degrees or a sweltering day in Death Valley.

In the coming week, Modesto residents should experience the normal “dry heat” of the Valley. At 5 p.m. Friday, the heat index was 99 degrees, which felt like the outdoor temperature of 99 degrees.

For the upcoming week, Stanislaus County public health is recommending precautions to stay safe and healthy in the hot weather. People are advised to stay indoors and out of the sun, drink more water than usual and seek shelter in an air-conditioned building if temperatures inside their home remain over 90 degrees.

The Modesto library, Vintage Faire Mall, the Senior Center and King-Kennedy Memorial Center are among the designated cooling centers for next week. Cooling centers also have been identified for residents in Turlock, Ceres, Oakdale, Riverbank, Salida, Hughson, Patterson, Newman, Empire, Keyes, Denair and Waterford.

Residents are advised to keep air conditioners well maintained; avoid alcohol or caffeinated drinks; wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing; take frequent cool showers or baths; check on older neighbors, relatives or friends; and bring pets indoors.

The symptoms of heat-related illness may include red, hot and dry skin; body temperature of 105 degrees; dizziness, nausea, confusion profuse sweating and muscle cramps; strange behavior or unconsciousness; rapid pulse and throbbing headache.

This story was originally published June 16, 2017 at 5:06 PM with the headline "Get ready for seven days of scorching heat, but it won’t be like 2006 disaster."