BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) Triple-digit temperatures are once again baking Kern County, with Friday marking the beginning of the area’s third heat wave.
Meteorologist Aaron Perlman said temperatures across the region are expected to climb, with Bakersfield reaching 105 degrees.
He said mountain areas are expected to be in the 90s, while desert locations will also see triple-digit heat.
Perlman said the region is under a heat advisory and an extreme heat warning over the next couple of days.
Third heat wave brings triple-digit temperatures, heat warnings to Kern County (KBAK/KBFX)
To help residents stay safe and cool, Kern County offers cooling centers where people can escape the heat.
Carlos Baldovinos, executive director of the Mission at Kern County, said the organization’s cooling center is open and available even when temperatures fall short of 100 degrees.
“We understand the heat in Bakersfield is intense. So we’re open, but even when it’s not one hundred degrees, it serves as that. Even if it’s 98 degrees, it still serves as a cooling center,” Baldovinos said.
Baldovinos said the Mission at Kern County’s cooling center is operating seven days a week.
Kern County also has eight other cooling centers around the county, though those sites only open when temperatures rise above a certain threshold.
Third heat wave brings triple-digit temperatures, heat warnings to Kern County (KBAK/KBFX)
“Just being outside the heat can really beat you down and actually can be very lethal to somebody out there. And potentially dying of heat stroke or heat exhaustion of some kind,” Baldovinos said.
Mission staff said the cooling center provides relief without turning anyone away.
“It means the world to them to be able to come and sit down in a chair and just relax with no one telling you to leave. Just get some fresh air and some cool water,” Ken said.
Third heat wave brings triple-digit temperatures, heat warnings to Kern County (KBAK/KBFX)
The cooling center at the Mission at Kern County is scheduled to be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.