Triple-digit temps coming soon

Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to reacquaint yourselves with summer.

Weather is tabbed to hit the low triple digits by Thursday with a steady buildup to that milestone until then, with today slated for a high of about 98 degrees and Wednesday looking to hit about 99, according to a National Weather Service meteorologist. Thursday is expected to be the crest of this heat wave, with its high temperature predicted to be about 101 degrees.

Typical high temperatures are about 90 degrees, meteorologist Tony Fuentes said.

"It's generally hot this time of year," he said.

Even when this system eases out, with the help of hyper-localized thunderstorms forecast to start Thursday, it'll still be a few degrees above typical seasonal temperatures, he said.

"If you're underneath one, it'll cool off for sure, but it'll probably be short-lived," he said.

By Sunday, he expects temperatures to hit a high of about 93, and Monday is expected to have a high of about 91.

Nevada State Health Division spokeswoman Martha Framsted urged people to use caution in the hotter weather, especially where cars and dependents are concerned.

"My big, big, big message to people is to not leave kids in cars; do not leave pets in cars," she said. "As we've seen all too often, that can have tragic consequences."

She also pointed people to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control's tips for avoiding heat-related illness, which include:

• Wearing light-colored and lightweight clothing;

• Drinking more non-alcoholic liquids that are not very cold; and

• If you must be outdoors, aim to be there in the morning and evening.

• Cut down on exercise, and try to rest often in shady areas.

Monday also marked the start of bans for building or maintaining fires outside of grills and fire rings within the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, using fireworks; smoking outside of a vehicle, building or exempted recreation site; welding; or using explosives.

Dozens of local utilities and emergency response agencies, meanwhile, have joined together in an exercise to improve responses to catastrophic wild fires in the greater Lake Tahoe region.

"With the mild winter, low snowpack and early, dry fire season, we wanted to work with all of the local agencies in the Sierra Front area to be prepared for any potential fire event that may occur," said Sam Rohn of Liberty Utilities, which serves parts of California, in a statement. "We included the state agencies in the exercise to ensure we have proper support if the need for mutual assistance from outside our territory comes into play."