While the rest of the nation seemingly is burning up — more than two-thirds of the U.S. is under an extreme-heat warning — Central California has mostly been spared.

The five-day forecast for the area shows temperatures topping out in the mid-90s and, at first glance, that seems pretty hot.

But it’s not nearly as hot as it could be.

According to information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration compiled between 1991 and 2020, the last half of July typically is the hottest two weeks of the entire year for the region.

Since July 16, temperatures for Turlock have averaged right around 98 degrees — a far cry from the temperatures that started the month. 

“Basically, for us to have hot temperatures, we need a high-pressure system over the region, with no marine-air influence,” said Idamis Del Valle-Shoemaker, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “We’ve had just the low-pressure system, remaining along the coast, that has continued to provide that marine-air influence. You need a high-pressure system for a significant heat event and that hasn’t been the case for most of this summer.”

The last day of June brought us the first triple-digit day of 2023, with the mercury hitting an even 100 degrees. It was supposed to be the start of an extended heat wave. Indeed, the next two days were quite hot, at 106 and 104, but within a week, Turlock recorded a high temperature of 79 degrees.

The city reached triple digits four times since July 16, including the last two days of the Stanislaus County Fair, but there were also four days between 95-93 degrees — pretty tame for late July.

“The first couple of nights of the fair, it was actually a little cool at night,” said Kim Williams, CEO of the Stanislaus County Fair. “The fair seems to thrive at right around 98 degrees.”

We may not have entirely escaped the extreme temperatures, however.

A mini five-day heatwave is forecast for the second week of August that is expected to top out at 106 degrees on Aug. 10, the first day of school for Turlock Unified School District students.

“As we did last year, we will work closely with our school sites and departments to mitigate the effects for students and staff of any extreme heat we experience the first days and weeks of school,” said Marie Russell, TUSD director of communications. For information regarding TUSD heat advisory guidelines, visit: https://www.turlock.k12.ca.us/Page/2404