July Fourth visitors to Heritage Park for the Carson Valley Pops concert snapped up the shady spots first on Sunday.
Kathy Schuman | Special to The R-C
An excessive heat warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for all of Western Nevada, including Carson Valley, from noon Saturday to 9 p.m. Monday.
“Extreme heat will significantly increase the potential for heat related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities,” forecasters said. “Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances.”
As hot as the weather is going to be this week, it will have to warm up some to compete with the five-day heat wave Minden experienced in 2007.
The week of July 5-9, 2007, opened with high temperatures of 107 and 109 degrees, crushing a then-76-year-old record for July 6 set in 1931.
After that bruising Thursday, the temperatures “cooled off” some dropping down to 100 degrees for July 8 and then climbing again to 104 on July 9, according to National Weather Service records.
Weather records for Minden date back to 1906.
While 2007 saw the highest maximum temperature on record in Minden, it only ranked fifth for the monthly mean average temperature, with 74.1 degrees.
That honor dates back 90 years to July 1931, when the mean average was 76.2 degrees.
Carson Valley has already tied two high temperature records so far in 2021, and could make the hat trick on Monday when the high is forecast to hit 101 degrees, tying the record of 101 degrees set in 1999.
Sunday’s high temperature is forecast to reach 103 degrees, which is just a degree off the record of 104 sent during the 2002 heat wave.
With the warm temperatures this weekend, expect a significant number of residents heading into the mountains to cool off.
Celebrity Golf is this week at Lake Tahoe, which will be packed with autograph hunters and star watchers.
