BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — Last week saw the heat flex and Heat Wave #4 in Bakersfield. Saturday’s temperature topped out at 97, breaking the 100-degree-day streak but Sunday came right back up to the century club.
Temperatures are expected to climb even more and a Heat Advisory is now up for the South Valley until Wednesday night. Meanwhile, an Extreme Heat Warning has been issued for our desert areas where high temperatures could sail up to 109 by Wednesday.
The heat high is centered over New Mexico, but its influence extends across central California. Kern County once again finds itself beyond the monsoonal margin as moist southerly flow out of Baja, Mexico becomes dry southwesterly once it gets to our latitude. However, subtle pockets of energy rotating around that high may send the moisture and associated instability further northwestward over the coming days. As a result isolated to scattered thunderstorm activity will start becoming possible again for portions of Southern California. The Storm Prediction Center has part of the Southland within the thunder boomer boundary on Monday.
Please remember to practice heat safety as we enter what very well could be Heat Wave #5 territory for the South Valley!
Chief Meteorologist Ilya Neyman