Bundle up, NorCal — it's going to be a chilly one this weekend. The National Weather Service in Sacramento has rolled out their latest forecast, calling for some seriously cold weather paired with breezy conditions through the weekend. And it's not going to end there, because come midweek, Sacramento residents should brace for a renewed likelihood of rain, mountain snow, and yes, more gusty winds.
For those up with the sun, keep an eye out for some fog and low stratus potentially reducing visibility in the southern Sacramento Valley. This advisory is particularly relevant along the eastern half of the Valley from I-80 southward, according to the NWS forecast. Meanwhile, temperatures are taking a nosedive with morning lows expected to hover in the icy upper 20s to mid-30s for Valley dwellers, and even colder conditions hitting the foothills, and the mountains. With those numbers, don't forget to take protective measures for your pets, people, plants, and certainly those pipes.
The winds may give your wind chimes a thorough workout. Gusts of 25 to 35 mph are expected to begin tonight and continue into Monday morning along the I-5 corridor and through the Sierra gaps. The strongest winds are anticipated tonight into tomorrow, "with a 40 to 65% chance of winds gusting to 35 mph or higher, primarily along the western side of the Sacramento Valley," according to the NWS statement.
Looking ahead to Wednesday through Saturday, the forecast gets a little more uncertain — but nonetheless active. An offshore trough is anticipated to tighten its grip, pushing into the Pacific Northwest and northern parts of the Golden State by Wednesday. This pattern spells the potential for snow to dust lower elevations in northern Sacramento Valley, bringing a chill to areas such as Redding and Shasta Lake, where there's up to a 30 percent chance of seeing up to two inches of the white stuff. While we’re not betting all our chips on this just yet, it's surely something to keep an eye on.
Elsewhere in the region, ready yourself for rounds of moderate to heavy rain and mountain snow as the system sweeps through. And let's not gloss over the expected wind conditions — "Gusty southerly winds are also in play on Thursday as the trough progresses," with 40 to 60% probability for gusts over 40 mph on the Valley floor and Sierra foothills, and an even higher chance for over 55 mph gusts in the higher Sierra. Pilots, take note: VFR conditions are predicted across the interior of Northern California for the next 24 hours, but keen attention should be paid to the breezy changes forecasted for later in the week.
