California to be gripped by epic heatwave

A severe heatwave is threatening California and will send temperatures in parts of the state soaring as high as 110 degrees. The heatwave will exacerbate a prolonged drought and an early fire season. Across most of the rest of the nation, severe thunderstorms are possible.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Temperatures in Los Angeles and along a narrow sliver of the California coast will be mild and mostly pleasant, in the week to come, but the first week of July will feature some epic weather for the rest of the state -that is if no weather at all counts.

A substantial, and slightly early heatwave is approaching California and will send inland temperatures well over 100 degrees, and in some places over 110.

Pray for rain for beleaguered California and pray for safe weather where you live!

Inland California commonly deals with such temperatures for several weeks during the late summer, usually around the end of July and into early August, but this heatwave is forecast to be both stronger and longer-lived than usual.

The heatwave will further exacerbate a state that is rapidly falling into crisis mode. A prolonged three-year drought has dropped water levels so low that wells are running dry and reservoirs are at their lowest levels in history. Some reserves are below 10 percent and nearly all are below 20 percent capacity. This is much lower than normal and puts strain on agriculture as well as firefighting efforts. The normal recharge from the mountain snowmelt isn't happening because very little snow fell in the state.

The fire season has already started in California, despite the fact that it normally starts in late summer or early fall. The dry stretch and added heat have turned mountains and hills into kindling, waiting for a single spark to ignite a fast-moving fire.

The water table has dropped to a record low with some wells now being drilled to an unprecedented 1,000 feet or more before yielding water.

According to NOAA, the first five months of 2014 were the hottest months on record for California and the rest of summer threatens the worst heat yet recorded in the state.

Meanwhile most of the rest of the U.S. is looking at thunderstorms from Washington State to the gulf coast. Severe weather is likely in Minnesota and neighboring states over the weekend.  Severe weather is expected to move from the Dakotas eastward, bringing with it the threat of tornadoes as soon as Saturday. The severe weather will persist at least through the weekend.

Much of the rest of the nation will see some kind of precipitation or at least cloudy skies.

The worst of all this remains in California. Farmers are already leaving fields fallow, the economy is being impacted and lives are made difficult by the prolonged drought. Nor does the future look good for California either. A possible El Nino event could inundate the state in flooding rains and mudslides come winter, or the drought could persist and push the state into a full-blown emergency without even enough water to sustain itself.

Enjoy our Confirmation Class? Pay it Foward

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'