LAKEPORT >> Extreme temperatures of recent days could escalate even further as Pacific Gas & Electric forecasters and the National Weather Service caution Lake County residents to be aware of spiking temperatures and take precautions to maintain their health.
Triple digit temperatures in the Coastal Valleys and the Bay Area as well as over 110 degrees are happening in the Central Valley noted Mark Quinlan, PG & E Emergency Operations Commander who presented a situational update from the utility's EOC Vacaville hub during a podcast the afternoon of July 3 to alert people how the utility is performing and assure customers and co-workers that protecting residents' safety is a primary concern. "This is a long duration heat event and very dangerous," said Quinlan. "It is imperative that residents have a plan for emergencies. We've been closely monitoring this event dating back to last weekend when we activated our EOC and were making every effort to prevent electrical outages and restore power quickly as possible if they occur."
Scott Strenfel, PG & E's senior director of meteorology said, "We have a very strong ridge of high pressure going to move across California and just park over the state and that'll cause temperatures to significantly increase into next Wednesday." He added, "What we'll see the next seven days will rival our biggest heat waves ever, going back to July 2006 and September 2022." He predicted daily records could be broken over the following week. Redding could hit 118 degrees. Meanwhile Red Bluff, Fresno and Bakersfield have forecasts that could exceed 110 degrees, which endure seven days in a row that never happened before, he noted. The National Weather Service has a heat watch in effect until next Wednesday.
"A bit of a Marine Layer is coming from the south that could be bringing relief from locations close to the coast so that the Marine Layer and sea breeze returns," he added.
A marine layer is an air mass that develops over the surface of a large body of water
such as the ocean or lake in the presence of a temperature inversion. The inversion itself
is usually initiated by the cooling effect of the water on the surface layer of an otherwise warm air mass. The air below the inversion is the marine layer, which can cool to the
point at which clouds or fog form low to the surface. "But that remains to be seen and what the strength of that will be," he said. "But Vacaville will see little relief from the Marine Layer and expect heat and fire danger keep rising and might result in other Public Safety Power Shutoff event."
At the beginning of the week PG & E made the decision to execute a PSPS event because primarily, on the northwest side of Sacramento Valley, because of unsafe winds were forecast. There were12,000 customers who had power cut off. noted Quinlan. But conditions improved later Tuesday and 10,000 had their power restored by late Tuesday, he recalled. As heat persisted throughout Monday, the Twin Pine Casino and Hotel, 22223
S. State Highway 29, Middletown, offered to allow its Events Center to be used as a community resource platform to provide those without air conditioning a respite from the heat. People began arriving Tuesday, noted Joe Totoro, general manager of the resort.
Their event center will serve as an oasis from the broiling heat at least through next Monday, he said. The air-conditioned venue his furnished with table and chairs. And it is equipped with cooling stations with plentiful water, also charging stations. Hours are from
8 a.m. to 10 p.m. "It's a very pleasant atmosphere," said Totoro. "And we've provided children and toddlers with games and toys." Those who want to access the accommodation must reside in the county and provide verification with a valid driver's license or passport.
Lynsey Paulo, PG &E communications staffer, urged residents to watch the company's ongoing efforts to monitor heat impacts on, pge.com or social media channels.
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