LAKE COUNTY — High temperatures are predicted for much of Northern California this weekend, and the National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat watch that includes much of Lake County.
The watch, issued Wednesday, will extend through 11 p.m. Sunday. Though a map produced by the NWS shows only the southern portion of Lake County included in that watch, NWS-Sacramento meteorologist Hannah Chandler-Cooley said Thursday that temperatures won’t vary much in the major communities of the county anywhere between Middletown and Upper Lake.
“We don’t have the lake itself included,” Chandler-Cooley said, “but almost all the area around it” is part of the heat watch.
The National Weather Service notes that a heat watch is not as severe as a “heat warning,” which the service says is provoked when “extremely dangerous heat conditions” are expected. A watch, on the other hand, is “used when the risk of a heat wave has increased but its occurrence and timing is still uncertain.”
Temperatures will be relatively consistent around Lake County through the weekend, based on data provided by Chandler-Cooley. Clearlake is projected to have a high of 102 degrees Fahrenheit on both Saturday and Sunday. Lakeport is likely to hover at a high of 98 degrees on those days, while Middletown could hit 101 on Saturday and 102 on Sunday. The Northshore region should see similar temperatures to Lakeport, Chandler-Cooley said.
This heat is higher than normal for this time in July, said Chandler-Cooley, but not much.
“It’s about 5–8 degrees higher than normal for the seasonal average,” she said. “It’s above average, but it’s not significantly above.”
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, July is the hottest month of the year globally. Climate scientists have predicted that this month could become the hottest July on record, based on global temperature averages.
The heat predicted this weekend for Lake County won’t directly increase the risk of wildfire greatly, said Chandler-Cooley, given that no high winds are predicted in conjunction with it.
Average wind speeds for much of Lake County, she said, are predicted to be around 5–8 miles per hour, with gusts up to about 10 miles per hour.
Still, Cal Fire spokesman Bruce Lang said locals should remember that fire danger is already high this time of year.
Whatever you’re doing, Lang said, make sure that it’s fire safe, and “make sure that we’re hydrated and well rested.”
For those that are planning on mowing this weekend, Lang said the standard 10 a.m. rule of thumb for finishing up a mowing project before the hottest part of the day could need to be bent slightly.
“The earlier the better,” he said. “It it’s already hot and dry by 10, then try and be done by nine.”
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. spokeswoman Deanna Contreras said no power shutoffs are expected for Lake County this weekend.
“At this time, no Public Safety Power Shutoff events are anticipated,” she said. Contreras noted that “no single factor drives a Public Safety Power Shutoff, as each situation is unique. PG&E carefully reviews a combination of many criteria when determining if power should be turned off for safety.”
The utility has said such shutoffs would generally only happen when high winds, low humidity, high heat and a “Red Flag Warning” from the National Weather Service occurred at once. No red flag warning has been issued in this case.
