Forget the 10 days of heat in Fresno. What day-trip getaways have lowest temps?
Fresno is working toward the first real heat wave of summer.
Temperatures are expected to be dangerous, settling in at 100 degrees plus through the Fourth of July weekend. The National Weather Service gives the probability of 105+ temperatures at better than half. Fresno could reach 110-plus on Saturday, which is not the earlier 121 degrees forecast that people were freaking out over, but still enough to get them running for the hills; quite literally.
It’s not a bad idea.
There are several day-trips outside the Valley that can get you out of the heat and into significantly lower temperatures. For this report, we took the expected high in Fresno this week, 112 degrees, and subtracted that from the expected high in various day trip destinations.
Here are a few destinations, listed by the expected difference in high temperatures.
> Monterey, 43 degrees
Further north on the coast, though still under a three-hours drive from Fresno, is Monterey. The city is home to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row, which is named after John Steinbeck’s novel and honors a history in the fishing industry. It’s also a good place for seeing whales. Killers, at that.
Monterey might be the best-bang for your buck for those looking to escape the heat. High temperatures will remain under 70 degrees through Sunday, making it one of the coolest places in the state.
> Morro Bay, 36 degrees
Morro Bay is one of a series of towns described by Fresnans who say they are “going to the coast;” there’s also Pismo Beach (Pismo) and San Louis Obispo (San Luis or SLO) and everyone has a favorite.
All are within a three-hour drive, which makes them ideal for a day-trip or weekend getaway. Meaning, there will be crowds. Historically, that’s been the case, even during the pandemic.
Temperatures in Morro Bay for the week are expected to top out at 76 degrees, according to the Weather Service.
> Huntington Lake, 29 degrees
Because Huntington Lake sits at a slightly higher elevation (just over 7,000 feet), its daytime temperatures tend to be mild, even in the summer. Never mind the nightly lows.
Highs are expected in the mid ‘80s through the week, according to the weather service, which means ideal for hanging out (at the annual Annual High Sierra Summer Fest for example) but also any number of recreational activities: fishing, sailing, or mountain biking and the like.
> Bass lake, 11 degrees
Bass Lake is one of the closer destinations here, at just an hour outside of Fresno in the foothills north of Oakhurst.
There are events planned for the week (including the Pines Village Arts and Craft fair and an annual fourth of July celebration with fireworks), the key here is that there is a large body of water in which to emerge oneself.
As the Weather Service warns, “warm air temperatures do not mean warm water temperature,” which is helpful, considering the forecast calls for it to be “sunny and hot” with temperatures reaching the low triple digits.
