For those in Sacramento feeling the brunt of the heat, there's a bit of reprieve on the horizon. According to the National Weather Service Sacramento, early this week won't be quite as scorching, and we can expect cooler temperatures with the potential for showers come Wednesday into Thursday. On the wind front—breezy conditions are likely.
The skies have cleared across Sacramento as a weak low pressure system slowly trudges east along the Oregon/California border. The marine layer is thin, so don't expect that to bring a significant cool down just yet. "Current temperatures are running about 5-10 degrees cooler compared to 24 hours ago from the Sacramento area northward, and are showing little change elsewhere," the National Weather Service reports. Even with a slight dip, hotter parts in Central Valley will hover around the 100 degrees mark, so it's not time to ditch the sunscreen and hats just yet.
If you're waiting for more noticeable relief, circle mid-week in your planners. There's about a 60% chance that a stronger trough will sweep through Northern California, which could bring showers, particularly to the northern mountains and northern Sierra. "Ahead of the approaching trough, stronger onshore flow is forecast to develop on Tuesday leading to the beginning of more significant cooling," suggests the National Weather Service.
Looking into the second half of the week, we're expecting "below normal high temperatures" as mentioned by the National Weather Service. By Thursday, things start to cool down further with the push of a deep upper low into the Intermountain West region. For those who favor milder weather, highs in the Central Valley by Friday should be more agreeable, around 90 degrees. However, keep your light jackets handy for the weekend as another system will likely contribute to synoptic cooling and potential showers in the coastal and mountainous areas.
For the aviators among us: good news. VFR conditions will maintain over interior Northern California for the next 24 hours with surface wind speeds remaining under 12 knots. No watches, warnings, or advisories are currently in place.
