5 California Cities Ranked Among 50 'Hottest' In America

FRESNO, CA — A new report says several of the hottest cities in America — temperature-wise, don't get cocky — reside right here in the Golden State. With parts of California seeing temperatures reach the 90s and 100s this week, it was only appropriate that five of them were listed among the nation's 50 warmest cities, according to the financial news and opinion site 24/7 Wall St.

The report said Sacramento, Stockton, Redding, Fresno and Bakersfield are some of the hottest cities, with Bakersfield being the warmest in California.

Here's a breakdown of the cities, according to the report.

Sacramento

• National rank: 45th
• State rank: 5th
• Days per year with at least 90-degree temperatures: 73
• Highest temperature ever recorded: 115 degrees
• Normal mid-summer high: 92.1 degrees
• Normal year-round high: 73.6 degrees

Stockton, CA

• National rank: 34th
• State rank: 4th
• Days per year with at least 90-degree temperatures: 82
• Highest temperature ever recorded: 115 degrees
• Normal mid-summer high: 93.4 degrees
• Normal year-round high: 74.3 degrees

Redding, CA

• National rank: 17th
• State rank: 3rd
• Days per year with at least 90-degree temperatures: 104
• Highest temperature ever recorded: 118 degrees
• Normal mid-summer high: 94.9 degrees
• Normal year-round high: 72.1 degrees

Fresno, CA

• National rank: 13th
• State rank: 2nd
• Days per year with at least 90-degree temperatures: 108
• Highest temperature ever recorded: 113 degrees
• Normal mid-summer high: 98.4 degrees
• Normal year-round high: 76.7 degrees

Bakersfield, CA

• National rank: 11th
• State rank: 1st
• Days per year with at least 90-degree temperatures: 110
• Highest temperature ever recorded: 115 degrees
• Normal mid-summer high: 97.1 degrees
• Normal year-round high: 76.8 degrees

The report, which only looked at cities with populations of at least 10,000, ranked the cities based on the average number of 90-plus degree days per year. The authors used climate data from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.

While Arizona claimed the top two spots with Phoenix and Tucson, Texas had the most cities on the list with 17. Florida had the second-highest with seven.

Excessive heat is blamed for more than 600 deaths in the U.S. every year, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heat can cause people to experience illnesses including heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which happen when the body can no longer properly cool itself.

"While the body normally cools itself by sweating, during extreme heat, this might not be enough," the agency wrote on its website. "In these cases, a person’s body temperature rises faster than it can cool itself down. This can cause damage to the brain and other vital organs."

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