© 2024 KVPR | Valley Public Radio - White Ash Broadcasting, Inc. :: 89.3 Fresno / 89.1 Bakersfield
89.3 Fresno | 89.1 Bakersfield
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

A 'heat dome' over Fresno, Valley this weekend could topple century-old heat temperatures

A street view of downtown Fresno with smoggy skies.
Joe Moore
/
Valley Public Radio
Smog partially obscures the old Security Bank building in downtown Fresno.

Listen to this report in the player on this page. Read the transcript below.


ELIZABETH ARAKELIAN, HOST: Things are heating up across the Valley, and it’s about to get much hotter. KVPR’s Joshua Yeager reports what is bringing near-record temperatures this weekend.

JOSHUA YEAGER: An excessive heat warning will take effect Saturday morning and last through Monday, as an extended heatwave swelters the state. Temperatures are expected to soar to 113 degrees in Fresno by Sunday, toppling records set nearly a century ago. Forecasters say a heat dome is to blame. That’s air warmed by the ocean and trapped under high atmospheric pressure.

CARLOS MOLINA: It looks like that heat dome is going to be over us for several days.

YEAGER: That’s Carlos Molina with the National Weather Service in Hanford. He says temperatures will retreat slightly as the dome continues east. In the meantime, avoid physical activity and stay indoors if you can. Molina says heat like this can be deadly.

For KVPR News, I'm Joshua Yeager in Bakersfield.

Joshua Yeager is a Report For America corps reporter covering Kern County for KVPR.