Temps In Vacaville Shoot Up Overnight Due To Rare 'Heat Burst' Event
VACAVILLE (CBS13) – Nightfall didn't bring much relief from the heat for residents in Vacaville thanks to a rare weather phenomenon.
Vacaville suffered through high temperatures of 108 degrees on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. By 8 p.m., temperatures had dropped down to the low 80s – like what you'd usually expect to happen when the sun goes down.
However, after bottoming out at 80, temperatures actually started to shoot up as the night progressed.
By midnight, temperatures had spiked at 95 degrees.
NWS says the bizarre temperature spike is due to a rare event called a "heat burst."
Much like downburst, a heat burst is usually associated with decaying thunderstorms. Heat bursts are basically the inverse of a downburst – instead of cool and moist air, hot and dry air is rushed toward the surface.
Forecasters say heat bursts, while remarkable, are not exactly uncommon. Oklahoma often sees more than a dozen heat bursts ever year, NWS says.
Thunderstorms did roll through the region overnight, blanketing Northern California and putting on a light show mainly in the San Joaquin Valley.
Temperatures in Vacaville fell back down after midnight, but it was still a warm summer night for most of Northern California.
