As Sacramento welcomes a bout of warm weather this weekend, the National Weather Service in Sacramento is forecasting sunny skies and temperatures soaring above normal. Residents can expect a "Minor HeatRisk across the Valley on Monday and Tuesday," with valley temperatures hitting the mid to upper 70s today and peaking in the low to mid 80s in the early part of the week, according to NWS Sacramento. The service notes a "75-100% probability of high temperatures greater than 80 degrees across the Valley" come Tuesday, preparing folks for a couple of sweltering days ahead.
The mercury's climb is attributed to "Ridging builds across interior NorCal today through early this week," NWS Sacramento states; such conditions lead to the drier and warmer weather observed. However, wind gusts along the I-5 corridor in the Sacramento Valley could reach 15 to 20 mph today but they're expected to "diminish in the afternoon hours" as we head into the evening, but not before they make their presence felt with a bit of bluster.
The region's relief from the heat will be courtesy of a "cooling trend by Wednesday" that will bring highs down to the low 70s to around 80 degrees for the Valley, Delta, and foothills. Along with this cooling trend, the possibility of light, "low-impact precipitation mainly over the mountains," is on the horizon for mid to late this week, per NWS Sacramento. In short, the weather's about to get active again, shift gearing for a mix of elements with both potential thunderstorms and gusty southerly winds in particular for the northern/central Sacramento Valley and mountains.
The extended forecast from NWS Sacramento suggests the area will experience "light precipitation mainly over the mountains" starting Thursday thanks to a trough moving across the region, Sierra Nevada could receive between 0.10-0.50 inches of rain, with the possibility of snow at higher elevations, though "a brief lull in precipitation is expected through Saturday afternoon." However, the weather service warns that the coming weather is complex and while wetter weather might arrive toward the end of next weekend, it remains a puzzle with uncertain "strength and timing at this point." So, while Sacramento basks in the unexpected warmth, eyes are necessarily casting ahead to what’s brewing on the horizon.
As for air travel, "VFR conditions expected to continue over the next 24 hours." That said, some local effects could be felt with "breezy north to east wind gusts up to 15-20 kts expected across portions of the Sacramento Valley and over the Sierra through 21z Sunday," as stated by NWS Sacramento. For those on the ground, these winds might come as an inconvenient burst but for pilots, they're just another factor in the day's flight plan.
