LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With the July 4 holiday set to arrive, weather experts are forecasting continued hot temperatures, with chances of showers and thunderstorms on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.
The National Weather Service is reporting that an excessive heat warning remains in effect for Lake County through 8 p.m. Thursday, when conditions are expected to cool down.
July 4 itself is expected to have temperatures topping out in the low 90s, based on the forecast.
Cooler temperatures are expected on Friday and into the weekend, according to the agency.
A hazardous weather outlook also is in effect for parts of Northern California, including Lake County. That's because forecasters are predicting a 20-percent chance of showers and thunderstorms Wednesday evening and into Independence Day morning, with light winds also expected.
A red flag warning is in effect for the northern part of Lake County – including the Mendocino National Forest – until Wednesday night due to critical fire weather conditions.
Officials are concerned about the potential for dry lightning strikes in the area, similar to those which late last month sparked fires around the region.
Since Tuesday morning, an estimated 2,800 lightning strikes have hit in the state's northerneastern region, setting off 16 fires in Cal Fire's Siskiyou, Lassen-Modoc-Plumas Unit and Nevada-Yuba-Placer units, the agency said.
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