Merced shatters April heat records. Is cooler weather on the way? Here’s the forecast
For anyone feeling like it’s unseasonably warm in Merced this week, you’re not imagining things.
In fact, the region broke heat records Thursday — with weather projected to ascend to another new, hotter high this afternoon.
This week’s record-shattering temperatures were last set April 7 and 8, 1989, at 90 and 91 degrees, respectively, according to the National Weather Service. Merced heat on Thursday rose past that decades-long high to 92 degrees. Friday is projected to reach 94 degrees.
“If the forecast stays on track, which it should, we should definitely break that record,” said Jim Dudley, a meteorologist with the NWS’s Hanford office.
Other communities around the Central Valley saw similar heatwaves. Bakersfield on Thursday broke its 1989 record of 96 degrees, while Fresno, Madera and Hanford each tied their all-time highs. Madera and Hanford are projected to break records again Friday, according to the NWS.
It’s not just the Valley that’s experiencing irregularly hot temperatures, but much of California from the coasts to the Sierra Mountains.
Thursday and Friday’s heat is liquefying snow in the Sierras, causing what’s left of the snowpack to melt faster. Statewide snowpack is currently at 26% of normal, according to state water watch data.
The weather service is projecting a storm to arrive next week that could bring 3-6 inches of snow Monday and Tuesday. “That will add a little bit (of snow) back, but it’s melting off at a pretty good rate right now,” Dudley said.
California this year saw its driest ever January, February and March on record, state data shows. All of the state is experiencing varying levels of drought. In Merced, no rain has fallen so far in April.
While that is projected to change come next week’s storm, precipitation is estimated by the NWS to amount to only .10 inches.
“I wouldn’t really call it much of a storm,” Dudley said. “I wish it was more.”
Since Jan. 1, Merced has received just .90 inches of rain, falling notably short of average conditions, which measure at 6.73 inches.
Although the coming storm isn’t expected to bring much precipitation, it will beckon cooler temperatures.
Friday is projected to be the last day of the heatwave, with Saturday’s highs dropping by about 10 degrees. Sunday is expected to reach only 75 degrees — a more normal temperature threshold for this time of year, according to the NWS. By Monday, the weather is likely to turn rainy and hit just 65 degrees.
“Essentially, we’re going from a summer-like situation today all the way back to a winter-type low,” Dudley said.
This story was originally published April 8, 2022 at 1:11 PM.
