BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) -- If you've got plans today, please remember to be Weather Aware Out There. We are watching the heat and the potential for sprinkle, shower, and thunderstorm activity.
Never leave children or pets unattended in a vehicle for any amount of time. Not only is it a personal safety issue, but the effects of even moderately warm temperatures outside are magnified into extremely dangerous conditions inside.
In only a matter of minutes, the temperature inside a car, with no air-conditioning, can surge many degrees higher than what any thermometer will read out in the air. This is especially treacherous for children, whose body temperature rises 3 to 5 times faster than that of an adult.
If your route takes you to the mountains, there could be Rowdy Rumblers out there. Even in the high country, the temps are expected to be high too. If you're hiking, watch for the possibility of lightning and get to a safe place if you notice a thunderstorm beginning to form.
This potential is due to the monsoonal flow that is successfully moving across the very-dry-until now Western US. Computer models indicate that this monsoonal pattern could continue for several more days. The most likely candidates for this activity would be the mountains, Kern River Valley, and the desert during the afternoons, but we can't rule out a sprinkle, shower, or storm overnight or during the morning, and the South Valley has a non-zero chance of something too.