The heat dome that’s been cooking Central California for more than a week is getting ready to mosey eastward toward the Four Corners region where the states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona connect, meteorologist J.P. Kalb said Thursday.

But we’re not out of the furnace quite yet: Fresno and the surrounding region could see highs up to 113 on Thursday and 111 on Friday, continuing the streak of 108-and-above weather that started on July 3.

While the National Weather Service website shows the high temperature forecast for Fresno next Wednesday at “only” 99, there’s still a chance it could remain in the low triple-digits, said Kalb, a forecaster with the National Weather Service office in Hanford.

“Temperatures are going to go down because the wind patterns are changing in the upper atmosphere, leading to some cooling,” he said.

High temperatures will drop to the normal range for Fresno, which at this time of year is the upper 90s to lower 100s, Kalb said.

Dry Lightning Possible in Sierra

Weekend temperatures in Fresno and the region will remain high, and there’s a chance of dry lightning in the Sierra Nevada that could spark wildfires in the tinder-dry region, he said.

A weak system that will be offshore this weekend will move onshore as a weaker ridge remains in place over the Valley next week, Kalb said.

July is still on pace to be the hottest ever in Fresno. As of Wednesday, the average temperature, which is the midpoint between the highs and lows, was 92.9 degrees, well above the record of 88.7 degrees set three years ago.

Before this year, Fresno had recorded high temperatures of 113 or higher 16 times since weather recordkeeping began in 1887. This month, there’s already been one such day.

And we’re not halfway through July yet.

Preliminary Climate Data for July/Highs in Fresno

July 1 — 101

July 2 — 105

July 3 — 110

July 4 — 110

July 5 — 108

July 6 — 112

July 7 — 114

July 8 — 112

July 9 — 108

July 10 — 108