SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Every year, Sacramento local Mark Homer said he goes to the California State Fair for more than one good reason.
“I love seeing the exhibits, you know, the artwork and all that,” Homer said. “I love seeing that stuff and then going through all the booths, you know the merchandise they sell and the new stuff coming out. It’s kind of really nice to see.”
For roughly 75 years the state fair has been held during summer, the heat in Sacramento not an issue for Homer, he said.
“It’s never bothered me,” Homer said. “I’ve been [coming] here 26 years, and I’ve just gotten used to it.”
It’s a different way of thinking about the heat than for longtime fair-goer Lauren, who preferred to only use her first name.
“I hate the heat,” Lauren said. “See look it, I’m already sweating.”
She said that’s why she lined up before the gates opened — to beat the day’s worst heat.
The biggest complaint fair officials said from attendees is the heat, and the primary reason why this will be the last year the event will be held in summer as it moves to fall.
The state is set to see a sizable rise in temperatures at least until 2050, climate experts report.
What’s more, extreme temperatures during the summer are set to become more common.
Days of at least 104 degrees in Sacramento currently happen about 10 to 14 days a year, but that will change, said professor of climate modeling at UC Davis, Paul Ullrich.
“Through mid-century and going into the end of century, we’re expecting more on the order of 40 to 60 days per year,” Ullrich said. “Which is basically the vast majority of the summer season where you’re going to be seeing these extreme temperatures.”
He said cities in the south, such as LA, will also see more extreme heat days, but it is buffeted a little by sea breezes.
Of note will be the Inland Empire, a big concern, he said.
“In the case of Sacramento, we anticipate by the end of the century that it’s going to look more like Phoenix,” Ullrich said. “However, for the Inland Empire under warming through end of century, we don’t really have a good analog. Potentially, maybe some of the cities in the Middle East for what we expect by the end of the century.”
This will have a major impact Ullrich said on how we live and areas function.
The state fair will start in mid-September next year.
Homer said he prefers a summertime slot for the fair but is just glad to know he can go again.
“Yeah, oh yeah, I’ll still come back next year,” Homer said.
Because he said heat or no heat, the fair is always fun.