CALIFORNIA —A heat wave baked the Golden State over the weekend, causing emergency room visits to spike in parts of Southern California.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention heat health tracker data, which was updated Saturday, shows “extremely high” rates of heat-related illnesses across California. The data, based on a scale of per 100,000 visits, showed emergency room visits that exceeded the 95th percentile of what is typical.

In the Health and Human Services region that includes California, Arizona and Nevada, emergency room visits went from 204 per 100,000 residents on June 17 to 881 on Sunday.

However, despite the first heatwave of the summer, temperatures have been milder than usual, which is consistent with climate forecasts that called for a mild start to the summer followed by an above-average finish to the season. The historically hottest months are yet to come in California, and they are expected to be blistering throughout the state.

According to the Weather Channel, August will be the hottest month for the entire state.

Most of the state was under minor to no heat risk on Monday, according to the CDC, including San Francisco, San Diego, Riverside, Sonoma, Alameda and San Bernadino Counties. Los Angeles, Orange and Sacramento Counties were under moderate heat risk, meaning it was an okay day to be outside for most people.

The Central Valley, however, raised to a Major heat risk on Monday, which can lead to health impacts for everyone, the CDC said.

The National Weather Service said most of the areas hardest hit by the heat wave will begin to see relief Monday, but stifling conditions will continue in the Southeast and Southern Plains.

Temperatures along the coast remained comfortable and in the low 70s in San Francisco and Alameda in Northern California and in the high 70s in Manhattan Beach and Ventura in Southern California. Temperatures in Southern California reached over 90 degrees in Riverside and up to 106 in Palm Desert.

In the United States, extreme heat kills more people than hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters. More than 2,300 Americans died of heat-related illnesses last year, the most in 45 years of record-keeping, according to the CDC. That’s up from about 1,700 heat-related deaths in 2022 and 1,600 in 2021.

People become ill from the heat when their bodies can’t naturally cool off due to a combination of factors, including high humidity. When the humidity is high, sweat doesn’t evaporate as quickly and keeps the body from releasing heat as fast as it may need.

Personal factors such as age, obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use all can affect the ability of the body to naturally cool off.

To avoid heat-related illnesses, including heat exhaustion, health officials advise people to limit time outdoors if possible during the heat of the day, and be sure to drink plenty of water and wear loose-fitting clothes and a hat.

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A high-pressure system is moving across the Utah, Oregon and Nevada region and is expected to reach inland areas of California, according to the National Weather Service.

A strong onshore flow will keep temperatures relatively cooler, around the 70s and low 80s, in the Los Angeles Basin and coastal communities, but it could reach the high 90s to around 100 degrees in desert areas by next week, said National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Wofford.

Palmdale and Lancaster are expected to see 98- and 99-degree temperatures on Wednesday, with a 5 to 10% chance of it reaching 103 and 104 degrees, respectively, Wofford said. The normal temperature for those cities this time of year is around 86 degrees.

“It’s not totally unprecedented,” said NWS meteorologist Ryan Kittell. “We’ve had temperatures like this before.”

There is also a heightened risk for grass fires in desert areas during the hotter weather, Kittell said, especially as finer fuels like grasses and plants dry out.

“They’re definitely receptive to burning,” he added. “Most of the forest areas with shrubs and trees are still moist, though, from over the wintertime.”

The Climate Prediction Center projects above-average temperatures between June 3 and 9. For the first week of June, San Francisco and Los Angeles are expected to be in the mid-60s and mid-70s, while it could reach almost 90 degrees in Bakersfield.

The agency also predicts a “moderate” chance, meaning a 40-60% chance, for excessive heat in portions of Northern and Southern California between June 5 and 11. There is a 20-40% chance for excessive heat in more inland regions of the state, as well as parts of Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

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