For residents north of Interstate 80, it might be time to pull out the umbrellas, however lightly. The National Weather Service in Sacramento reports a "weak system" that will bring light showers across the region and, to add to the mix, a little gust of South to West winds will also tag along for the ride across the higher terrain today. "A weak system brings primarily light showers north of Interstate 80 and gusty south to west winds along the higher terrain today," The National Weather Service noted in their early morning forecast.
While the heaviest of the rain is expected in Shasta County, don't expect a downpour. With an about 40 to 60 percent chance of even hitting the 0.1 inches mark, it's more of a breeze than a storm. At this time, for those living across the Coast Range and northern Sacramento Valley, chances are even slimmer, ranging from 15 to 30 percent. Stray thunderstorms can't be ruled out entirely, but don't bet your bottom dollar on it—these possibilities are said to be "conditional" on the afternoon's cloud cover, as reported by the National Weather Service.
Let's also talk wind while we're at it. The valley might not get much rain, but the same can't be said about winds which "gusting 25 to 35 mph are expected across portions of the northern and central Sacramento Valley," according to the National Weather Service. Higher elevations could see that escalate to 45 to 55 mph gusts. On the temperature front, expect highs in the mid 60s to low 70s in the Delta, Valley, and foothills—and a cooler 50s to low 60s for those higher up.
Then it's a quick return to our regularly scheduled programming: dry and warmer-than-average weather stands by on deck for the remainder of the week, after the weak system bids us adieu. "Dry weather and above normal temperatures then expected through the remainder of the week," the National Weather Service forecasts. Aside from a short-lived chance of some fog Tuesday morning, it sounds like clear skies are the main event. The end of the week could bring a slight hiccup, with a system advancing towards SoCal, but it's expected that "interior NorCal looks to remain influenced by broad ridging aloft." Keep those sunglasses handy.
VFR conditions expected to prevail—should be in effect for the next 24 hours across interior NorCal. There could be some minor turbulence in the form of brief MVFR conditions due to light showers north of I-80, but nothing to reroute your flight plans over, as per the National Weather Service. Winds across the region are also going to sweep through the Delta, Sacramento metro, and northern San Joaquin Valley. But brace yourselves for potential 20 to 30 knots gusts in the northern and central Sacramento Valley and even heartier ones along the Sierra crest.
