Record-breaking heat wave continues to bake Modesto as people seek ways to stay cool
At least 67 people used cooling centers in Stanislaus County over the Labor Day holiday weekend heat wave, according to the county Office of Emergency Services.
That number is only for people who stayed at one of the eight county branch libraries that served as cooling centers and does not include people who used cooling centers at a few other other locations, such as the Patterson City Hall lobby, Ceres Community Center and Oakdale’s Gladys L. Lemmons Senior Center.
OES spokesman Raj Singh said officials are gathering those numbers.
The OES continues to operate the cooling centers as the National Weather Service in Sacramento extends its excessive heat warning from Redding to Modesto through 8 p.m. Friday. But much of California is baking under record-breaking heat.
The weather service predicted a daytime high of 113 degrees in Modesto for Tuesday, with a nighttime low of 79 degrees. The daytime high is expected to be 108 for Wednesday through Friday, with overnight lows of 75 to 81 degrees. The temperatures are about 20 degrees above normal for this time of the year.
The predicted daytime highs would set records, according to Chelsea Peters, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento. Peters said Modesto’s Monday high of 107 broke the previous record for Sept. 5 of 105 degrees set in 1988.
She said if Tuesday’s temperature reached 113 degrees as forecast, not only would it be the hottest Sept. 6 on record in Modesto, breaking the record 106 set in 2020, it would tie Modesto’s all-time high for any day, set July 23 and July 24, 2006. The forecast highs for Wednesday and Thursday also would set records.
The weather service says Modesto can expect a break from the heat over the weekend. The daytime high for Saturday is forecast at 98 degrees with a nighttime low of 73. Sunday is expected to have a daytime high of 90 with a nighttime low of 69.
The list of cooling centers is available at stanemergency.com. Singh said officials are working to extend the hours until 9 p.m. for the library branches serving as cooling centers.
The Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts continue to call on their customers to conserve. That includes setting the air conditioning at 78 degrees and higher, turning off lights when not in use, and not using major appliances from 4 to 9 p.m.
The two districts have about 230,000 customers and provide electricity to nearly all of Stanislaus County. The districts are not subject to the rolling blackouts that can affect Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers.
Spokeswomen for both irrigation districts said late last week that they expected the districts to weather the Labor Day holiday weekend in good shape. That was before the National Weather Service extended the excessive heat warning from Wednesday to Friday. Updates from the districts were not immediately available.
Schools adjust to heat
Singh, the OES spokesman, said school districts are canceling outdoor recess and sports practices and keeping students indoors during the heat wave.
Turlock Unified School District spokeswoman Marie Russell said in an email that the district has protocols for the heat wave at www.turlock.k12.ca.us/heatadvisory.
“Our principals are monitoring the temperature today and making adjustments in real-time to school activities,” Russell said in her email. “Some of the planned adjustments include limiting outdoor physical activity; opening gyms, multipurpose rooms and other spaces during lunch for students to eat; and encouraging students to stay hydrated ... .”
Russell said regarding school sports, “Dutcher Middle School has canceled all sports this week. Turlock Junior High School has canceled all outdoor sports. High schools have adjusted practice times and are monitoring the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature for possible game cancellations.”
The National Weather Service states the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature is a “measure of the heat stress in direct sunlight, which takes into account: temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle and cloud cover. ... Military agencies, OSHA and many nations use the WBGT as a guide to managing workload in direct sunlight.”
Modesto City Schools spokeswoman Brittany Jackson said in an email that the district is “limiting outdoor activity by implementing a ‘rainy day’ schedule for all schools on a day-to-day basis this week. For today, all outdoor practices and games, except for water polo, will be scheduled in the cooler hours, postponed, or canceled.
“... The district will continue to monitor and adjust our heat advisory protocols in real-time in an effort to keep our students, staff and families safe.“
And Ceres Unified School district spokeswoman Beth Jimenez said via email, “We have reminded site administrators to encourage students to stay hydrated, to monitor for signs of heat-related illness and to determine alternative spaces for outdoor activities as needed. We anticipate that outdoor activities such as afternoon recess and P.E. will be conducted indoors, and sports practices/games, will be moved indoors or postponed/canceled.”
Six people go to ERs
Singh said local hospitals’ emergency rooms reported seeing six people for heat-related illnesses Friday through Sunday.
The OES reported that 14 people used Modesto’s library branch as a cooling center Sunday and 24 used it Monday. The OES reported that no one used any other branch libraries as cooling centers Sunday.
But 29 people used the library branches in Riverbank (14), Oakdale (2), Salida (4), Empire (4), Turlock (3) and Patterson (2) on Monday for relief from the heat. No one used the library branch in Newman.
Singh urged people to check on family members, friends and neighbors who are vulnerable in the heat wave, including the elderly, the disabled and those without air conditioning. “Take that extra moment to check on them, to call them,” he said.
This story was originally published September 6, 2022 at 12:51 PM.
