Yesterday’s heat wave shattered many of Humboldt’s temperature records for September 2, and a few areas even beat out their all-time highs. Today you can expect more of the same.

A smoky sunset in Eureka yesterday. | Alan Workman.

Meteorologist Doug Boushey of Eureka’s National Weather Service office told the Outpost that ACV recorded an all-time record high yesterday with a temperature of 97 degrees, surpassing the previous record of 95 set in 2008.

“The record for [September 2] was 78 degrees set in 2010, so they smashed that record and nudged out the all time record by 2 degrees,” Boushey said.

Eureka also broke records yesterday, eclipsing its daily high of 86 degrees, and tying the all-time high of 87 degrees, which was last set in October of 1993.

Several temperature recording devices in Fortuna gave conflicting reports for yesterday’s high, but all all of them recorded temperatures over 100 degrees — the highest being 105.

100 degrees in the shade yesterday in Alton. | Teri Bruton Ross

Boushey said that there was also conflicting data for Fortuna’s records, but based on Scotia’s more reliable all-time high data of 98 degrees, set in September of 1964, he concluded that Fortuna likely also broke a record yesterday.

Surprisingly, Eastern Humboldt did not break any records, but Boushey said that yesterday’s thick smoke likely reduced the heat.

“I imagine that’s because there was smoke blocking out the sun,” Boushey said. “Definitely a record-heat day for the North Coast and Humboldt County as a whole, and if it wasn’t for the smoke, Willow Creek would probably be a little toasty.”

While many areas didn’t break records, here are a few other notable highs from yesterday’s scorcher.

  • Hoopa 96
  • Salyer 95
  • Garberville 110
  • Alderpoint 108
  • Ukiah 111

So far there’s no reports of records being broken today — it’s early — but the NWS reports that Humboldt is in for one more day of excessive heat. Temperatures are expected to drop below normal by the end of next week.

NWS.