Merced just sweated through warmest July on record. How hot did it get — and what’s next?

After several weeks of scorching temperatures, July went down as the warmest on record in Merced and several other California cities.

That’s according to preliminary data from the National Weather Service.

The data, released Friday, highlights the average monthly temperatures across cities in the Sacramento Valley and San Joaquin Valley.

“It probably comes as no surprise to anyone but it was a hot month,” the National Weather Service wrote Thursday in a social media post.

Here’s how hot it got in July, a temperature outlook for August and what’s in the forecast for Merced:

Merced has warmest July on record

Merced recorded its warmest July ever last month, according to the weather service.

The city had a mean average temperature of 85.4 degrees in July, toppling a previous record set in July 1931 by about 1 degree.

National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Rasch said a “big dome of high pressure” resulted in record temperatures across California.

What about other California cities?

Fresno, Stockton and Modesto all recorded their warmest mean average temperatures ever in July, the weather service said on social media.

Fresno reported a mean average temperature of 90 degrees in July. That’s about a degree higher than its previous record of 88.7 degrees, set in July 2021.

Stockton averaged 83-degree days in July, which means the city was 5 degrees higher than its normal of 78 degrees.

Modesto reported a mean average temperature of 85 degrees in July, according to the weather service.

That’s six degrees higher than its normal average temperature for the month, 79 degrees.

Sacramento also experienced its warmest July on record.

Sacramento Executive Airport recorded an average temperature of 81 degrees in July, the weather service said, surpassing its normal average temperature for the month by more than 5 degrees.

According to National Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Kittell, one San Luis Obispo County city unofficially had the hottest July on record since the agency started collecting data in 1952.

The monthly average temperature in Paso Robles was 100.2 degrees in July, compared to 99.5 degrees on average for the month in 1996 and 2023.

How did July temperatures affect California wildfires?

July’s searing weather coincided with the outbreak of massive wildfires across the state.

As of Friday afternoon, the Park Fire had burned more than 399,000 acres in Butte, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama counties, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

The 2024 SQF Lightning Complex fire had scorched more than 89,000 acres in Kern and Tulare counties, and the Lake Fire in northern Santa Barbara County had blackened about 38,000 acres, Cal Fire said.

All three blazes started in July.

So did the Pedro Fire. The blaze was 25% contained as of Friday afternoon with more than 3,800 acres burned in Mariposa and Tuolumne counties.

What will weather in August be like?

Folks shouldn’t expect temperatures this month to heat up nearly as much as July, Rasch said.

The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center said there’s an equal chance of temperatures being normal or slightly above normal in August in California.

Equal chances are isolated along the state’s coast.

What’s the forecast for Merced?

According to the National Weather Service’s seven-day forecast for Merced, there was a 20% chance of showers before 11 p.m. Friday.

Friday night will be partly cloudy, with a low temperature around 75 degrees and winds around 5 mph.

The weather was forecast to be sunny and hot on Saturday and Sunday, with high temperatures near 104 and 103 degrees, respectively. Winds could get as high as 10 mph.

The low temperature on Saturday will be around 72, and the temperature will drop to 70 degrees on Sunday night.

More hot, sunny weather is expected Monday when the high will be near 103 with an overnight low around 71.

On Tuesday, the high will be near 105 and the low will hover around 71.

Wednesday will have a high near 104 and a low around 71.

Wind gusts on Tuesday and Wednesday nights could get as high as 15 mph.

The temperature is forecast to drop slightly Thursday. The high will be near 101 while the low will be around 67.

The high on Friday will hover near 98.