California, 2022

Excessive Heat and Heat in California, August 31, 2022

August 31, 2022 · NWS HNX · 25 events in 25 counties and zones

A large area of high pressure that was centered over the Great Basin area built westward into California on August 31st and brought a period of hot and dry weather to the area which prevailed across the area through much of early September.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 25 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 25

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS HNX wrote it up.

A large area of high pressure that was centered over the Great Basin area built westward into California on August 31st and brought a period of hot and dry weather to the area which prevailed across the area through much of early September.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Hanford, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 31, 12:08 AM PST, 9 hours 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 31, 12:08 AM PST, 9 hours 52 minutes before

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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

22 heat, 3 excessive heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, West Side Mountains North of Highway 198

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: West Side Mountains North of Highway 198 forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 36.975, -120.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 103 and 108 degrees.

Heat, Los Banos-Dos Palos

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Los Banos-Dos Palos forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 36.975, -120.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 103 and 108 degrees.

Heat, Merced-Madera-Mendota

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Merced-Madera-Mendota forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 37.056, -120.043 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 103 and 108 degrees.

Heat, Planada-Legrand-Snelling

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Planada-Legrand-Snelling forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 37.331, -120.129 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 103 and 108 degrees.

Heat, Coalinga - Avenal

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Coalinga - Avenal forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 36.417, -119.732 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 103 and 108 degrees.

Heat, West Side of Fresno and Kings Counties

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: West Side of Fresno and Kings Counties forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 36.417, -119.732 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 103 and 108 degrees.

Heat, Caruthers - San Joaquin - Selma

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Caruthers - San Joaquin - Selma forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 36.489, -119.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 103 and 108 degrees.

Heat, Fresno - Clovis

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Fresno - Clovis forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 36.758, -119.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 103 and 108 degrees.

Heat, West Side Mountains South of Highway 198

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: West Side Mountains South of Highway 198 forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 36.059, -119.398 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 103 and 108 degrees.

Heat, Buttonwillow- Lost Hills - I5

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Buttonwillow- Lost Hills - I5 forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 35.709, -119.273 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 103 and 108 degrees.

Heat, Delano - Wasco - Shafter

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Delano - Wasco - Shafter forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 35.879, -119.115 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 103 and 108 degrees.

Heat, Hanford - Corcoran - Lemoore

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Hanford - Corcoran - Lemoore forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 36.351, -119.421 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 103 and 108 degrees.

Heat, Visalia - Porterville - Reedley

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Visalia - Porterville - Reedley forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 36.489, -119.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 103 and 108 degrees.

Heat, Buena Vista

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Buena Vista forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 35.343, -118.730 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 103 and 108 degrees.

Heat, Bakersfield

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Bakersfield forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 35.343, -118.730 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 103 and 108 degrees.

Heat, Southeast San Joaquin Valley

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Southeast San Joaquin Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 35.782, -118.765 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 103 and 108 degrees.

Heat, South End San Joaquin Valley

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: South End San Joaquin Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 35.343, -118.730 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 103 and 108 degrees.

Heat, Mariposa - Madera Foothills

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Mariposa - Madera Foothills forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 37.331, -120.129 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 101 and 106 degrees.

Heat, Fresno - Tulare Foothills

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Fresno - Tulare Foothills forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 36.489, -119.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 101 and 106 degrees.

Heat, South End Sierra Foothills

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: South End Sierra Foothills forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 35.782, -118.765 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 101 and 106 degrees.

Heat, Yosemite Valley

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Yosemite Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 37.582, -119.905 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 99 and 104 degrees.

Heat, Kern River Valley

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Kern River Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 35.782, -118.765 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 101 and 106 degrees.

Excessive Heat, Indian Wells Valley

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Indian Wells Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 35.343, -118.730 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 107 and 112 degrees.

Excessive Heat, Mojave Desert Slope(S)

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Mojave Desert Slope(S) forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 35.343, -118.730 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 107 and 112 degrees.

Excessive Heat, Mojave Desert

When: August 31, 10:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Mojave Desert forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 35.343, -118.730 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Daytime highs ranged between 107 and 112 degrees.

What these are

Heat: Heat below excessive heat criteria that still caused deaths, injuries or significant impacts.
Excessive Heat: Heat at or above the local excessive heat warning criteria, or heat that caused deaths.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2022 Every state in 2022 This day in weather history Warnings in California, August 2022

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1044084, 1044085, 1044086, 1044087, 1044088, 1044089, 1044090, 1044091, 1044092, 1044093, 1044094, 1044095, 1044096, 1044097, 1044098, 1044099, 1044100, 1044101, 1044102, 1044103, 1044104, 1044105, 1044106, 1044107, 1044108.