Triple-digit temperatures headed to Modesto area. When will weather heat up?
Be ready to crank up the air conditioner, Modesto.
While Modesto’s summer has been cooler than usual, things are about to heat up.
Acording to the National Weather Service, triple-digit temperatures are on the horizon for the Modesto area.
“This weekend, highs are forecast to be around 3 to 7 degrees warmer than normal,” the weather agency wrote on X on Wednesday, Aug. 6.
Here’s how hot it will get in Modesto:
High temperatures forecast for Northern California
The National Weather Service said most of interior Northern California — including Modesto, Stockton and Sacramento — will see “warming temperatures through the rest of the week.”
That means daytime high temperatures of 100 degrees or higher, the weather agency said.
Area residents should also be prepared for moderate heat risk from Friday, Aug. 8, through Sunday, Aug. 10.
How high will temperatures get in Modesto area?
In Modesto, the hottest weather was expected to hit over the weekend, the National Weather Service said.
Maximum temperatures could reach 101 degrees on Saturday and Sunday, according to the weather service.
What’s in the weather forecast for Modesto?
On Wednesday, Modesto residents could expect clear, sunny skies and a high temperature of 96 degrees, according to the National Weather Service’s latest seven-day weather forecast.
The overnight low temperature will be 67 degrees.
The high on Thursday should be near 97, while the low will be approximately 66.
Winds could range from 3 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.
Friday will see a high near 100 and a low around 70, with winds around 6 mph.
Saturday’s forecast calls for a high near 100 and a low around 67.
On Sunday, the high will be approximately 99, with a low around 68.
Who’s most at risk in heat?
Starting Friday, Modesto’s heat risk will be moderate, the weather service said.
The heat risk scale provides a forecast that shows the likelihood of heat-related problems occurring.
The scale calculates how hot it is compared to normal, how long the heat lasts and whether it’s likely to cause health issues based on data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It ranges from 0, meaning there’s little or no heat risk, to 4, indicating an extreme heat risk.
From Friday through Monday, the heat risk was projected to be 2, indicating a moderate heat risk.
Moderate heat risk “affects most individuals sensitive to heat, especially those without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration,” the National Weather Service said.
Vulnerable individuals include those who are pregnant, newborns, children, older adults and those with a chronic illness.
These groups are more at risk due to age and conditions that make it difficult to regulate high temperatures.
Why has Modesto’s summer been cooler than usual?
Modesto’s summer has been unusually mild this year.
Instead of the usual triple-digit heat, July brought temperatures mostly in the 80s and 90s.
Unlike the summer of 2024 — which had more than 20 days over 100 degrees around this time — Modesto has only hit 100 once in the past two months, as of Wednesday, Aug. 6.
Modesto’s cooler summer feels surprising because residents have gotten used to extreme heat, Modesto Junior College professor Noah Hughes previously told The Modesto Bee.
A change in high-pressure patterns has brought stronger coastal winds and colder ocean water, creating a cooling delta breeze that’s reached the Central Valley.
This “natural air conditioner” has kept temperatures relatively cooler than previous summers.
Forecasts suggest the trend could continue, but Hughes said summer weather is hard to predict year to year.
