Remember how blasted hot it was in Sacramento last year? Here’s how temps compare this month

Jacqueline Pinedo
·2 min read

Sacramento is a lot cooler right now than it was this time last year, when the capital city broke heat records in early September.

We aren’t complaining, but we were curious: How do they compare?

September temperatures this year are averaging 75.2 degrees, according to the National Weather Service website. Last year, the average was 78.4 degrees.

Downtown Sacramento has only hit a high of 96 degrees so far this month, compared to last year’s 116 degrees on Sept. 6.

“We have seen a significant cooling if we compare the last two years,” said Dakari Anderson, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

The big difference between this year and last: In 2022, a severe heat wave swept through the region in September, pushing average temperatures higher.

People are more susceptible to experiencing heat exhaustion or heat stroke during a heat wave — and communal infrastructure is also compromised, according to the weather service website, due to the increased usage of electricity the electrical grid. Extended periods of intense heat also increase the risk of wildfires.

Duane McMullen, of Sacramento, walks along 15th Street past Capitol Park on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022, in downtown Sacramento. Todays the hottest day its been in Sacramento, the resident of 32 years said, referring to the record-breaking temperature of 116 degrees reached moments before, according to the National Weather Service. The previous record was 114 degrees, set on July 17, 1925.

Last year, the Mosquito fire burned through nearly 70,000 acres in El Dorado and Placer counties, starting in the first half of September.

A Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane drops water on the ridge near Baltimore Mine Road during the Mosquito Fire on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022.
A Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane drops water on the ridge near Baltimore Mine Road during the Mosquito Fire on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022.

Triple-digit comparison

In 2022, downtown Sacramento reached triple-digits numbers a total of 44 times over the span of the year, according to the weather service. Nine of those 100-plus-degree days were in September.

The first 100-degree day was at the end of May.

The temperature reads 116 degrees on a digital sign at the El Dorado Savings Bank on Folsom Boulevard in East Sacramento on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022, the hottest day in the history of the city. The 116-degree record for downtown Sacramento exceeded the previous all-time record for the city, 114 degrees in July 1925, by two degrees.
The temperature reads 116 degrees on a digital sign at the El Dorado Savings Bank on Folsom Boulevard in East Sacramento on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022, the hottest day in the history of the city. The 116-degree record for downtown Sacramento exceeded the previous all-time record for the city, 114 degrees in July 1925, by two degrees.

This year, the Sacramento has reached temperatures of 100 degrees or more a total of 23 times, according to the weather service. And, so far, for September, the station has not reached a triple-digit day.

The first 100-degree day was at the end of June.

“The month of September still isn’t over,” Anderson said. “There is still room for the monthly average for this year to waver up and down just depending on what happens the next 17 days.”

What does the forecast say this week?

Temperatures in Sacramento are forecast to remain below the triple-digit threshold.

Temperature highs will be in the upper 80s and low 90s through the week, according to the weather service five-day forecast. The hottest day in the forecast is Wednesday.

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