Severe heat will raise the risk of brush and grassfires from central and northern California, also bringing a moderate to and high risk of wildfires in parts of Arizona and New Mexico, a forecast out on Monday shows.
The first big heat wave of the season is expected to bring high temperatures and a high risk of wildfires to parts of the Southwestern U.S. this week.
The warming trend is expected to push up temperatures in parts of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oregon, Idaho, and Wyoming between Tuesday and Friday. High-temperature records may be challenged, with temperatures forecast to climb 5 to 20 degrees above the historical average, according to AccuWeather.
AccuWeather’s forecast faults “a bulge in the jet stream” from high-pressure building in the atmosphere and a storm offshore of California for allowing heat to build, without no shower or thunderstorm activity expected in much of the West.
AccuWeather is forecasting a high temperature of 103 degrees on Tuesday in Sacramento, California, which would tie the 1935 record, and a high temperature of 112 degrees in Phoenix on Thursday and 113 degrees on Friday. A high of 111 degrees is expected in Las Vegas on Thursday. In southwest Utah, AccuWeather forecasts a high of 108 degrees in St. George on Thursday.
Two winter seasons with ample rainfall and snowpack left ample deep soil moisture across California, but AccuWeather meteorologists warn that topsoil and quick-burning fuels like grass can dry out quickly.
The first fire of the season sparked over the weekend near Tracy, California, burning more than 14,000 acres. The fire is 75% contained, according to CalFire.
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