Hollisterites should prepare for higher temperatures this week,
but it’s not the result of a heat wave it’s just July, said Diana
Henderson, a forecaster with the National Weather Service’s
Monterey Bay office.
Hollisterites should prepare for higher temperatures this week, but it’s not the result of a heat wave it’s just July, said Diana Henderson, a forecaster with the National Weather Service’s Monterey Bay office.
Yesterday temperatures reached 91 degrees, but will likely peak today with the mercury rising to about 92 degrees before cooler air moves in from offshore, lowering temperatures slightly. It could reach 105 degrees in some San Benito County locations, according to the NWS Web site.
However, weather this summer has been remarkably average, Henderson said.
A high-pressure bubble the state is under should eventually move back down in the next few days, Henderson said. Cooler air will head toward Hollister starting Thursday and continue throughout the weekend. Overnight temperatures will hover around 55 degrees throughout the week, Henderson said.
“Temperatures are slightly above average,” Henderson said. “But, this is not a hellacious heat spell in any way.”
A high pressure ridge that causes the air to come off the land instead of the ocean is responsible for higher temperatures this week, Henderson said. Usually, cool offshore air moves over the land, but it isn’t reaching Hollister.
“That huge ocean is like a giant air-conditioner,” Henderson said. “The cooler effects will be felt later on this week.”
This week will be hot, but not near as hot as the summer of 1961, when temperatures soared to a record high of 110 degrees in Gilroy. The National Weather Service is unable to give exact historical temperatures for Hollister because it hasn’t been collecting weather information here long enough, Henderson said.
Without clouds, ultraviolet rays are also a problem this time of year Henderson said, and she recommended sunscreen for those working or playing outside this week.
And as the temperatures soar, people are seeking relief. Higher temperatures mean twice as many people at the San Benito High School swimming pool, said Hollister Recreation Center Aquatics Coordinator Lacee Kortsen. The pool is open to the public during the week from 1:30pm to 3pm and entrance costs $3 each day. Usually 40 to 50 people come to the pool during a normal week, but Kortsen said she expects that number to double this week with temperatures in the 90s.
“Attendance always depends on how hot it is outside,” Kortsen said.
Unsurprisingly, hot weather also boosts sales of drinking water, said President Mary Damm of Damm Good Water. She estimated a 45 to 50 percent increase in sales over the summer.
“The boost is about as big as you’d expect,” Damm said. “Water and ice sales always increase during the summer.”
Brett Rowland covers education for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
