The longest stretch of 100-degree days in years starts today in Manteca-Lathrop-Ripon.
Forecasters for the National Weather Service expect temperatures to peak at above 100 degrees today through Thursday including a sizzling 111 degrees on Labor Day.
The highest overnight low will also occur on Monday when the temperature will not drop lower than 73 degrees overnight.
The last time temperatures in Manteca peaked above the 110-degree mark, Manteca and the much of the western United States was plunged into a blackout that lasted more than six hours.
At the time, Manteca relied 100 percent on well water.
Water supplies became so perilously low that Manteca police and SHARP volunteers were dispatched to drive city streets using loudspeakers to ask residents to refrain from using sprinklers and hoses for cooling off and to cease outdoor irrigation.
Officials at the time said the city came close to lacking adequate supplies as well as adequate water pressure to fight a fire if it had broken out as the city’s water tanks were all being drained as people turned on water to stay cool.
This time around Gov. Gavin Newsom has already declared a state of emergency because of heat that will be 10 to 20 degrees above normal throughout much of California over the coming days.
The state in urging people to conserve electricity especially on weekdays from 2 to 9 p.m. to avoid the need to cut off homes and business from electricity or — in an uncontrolled situation should it happen — avoid a major blackout such in 2006 or in 2011 when California experienced another major blackout.
The 2011 blackout kept 2.7 million Californians without power for more than 12 hours.
If it is any consolation, the forecast for Death Valley for the next seven days calls for highs above 120 degrees before dropping down to 116 degrees next Thursday.
The high marks for Death Valley in the coming week will be today, Friday and Saturday where the high is expected to reach 124 degrees,
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
