Remember late last week when the National Weather Service was forecasting several inches of rain for the valley, along with strong, gusty winds? Well, the reality is far different than that forecast. Chico only received .01" of rain overnight last night, and winds have only gusted to around 25 mph. That's what we see in a typical winter storm. The way the NWS forecasters were seeing it, one would expect a far stronger storm to hit (at least, that's what I thought). I was correct in my last blog posting by saying that we were not going to get any widespread heavy rain or winds strong enough to meet advisory or warning criteria. I feel that forecasters nowadays rely far too much on inaccurate computer models, and not enough on their own knowledge. This is either the fourth or fifth time this rainy season the NWS forecasters blew the forecast. Not a good track record, if you ask me. I mean, I could tell just by looking at the satellite picture yesterday that there was no way we were going to get widespread rain amounts of half an inch to an inch. And I don't even have a degree in meteorology! Anyway, the forecast for the next seven days in Chico calls for a mix of sun and clouds with a chance of showers most of the time. Temps will be cooler than average during the forecast period. Here are the details from the not so reliable NWS:
Tonight: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a low around 37. Southwest wind 8 to 11 mph becoming southeast. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Wednesday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 54. Southeast wind between 11 and 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Wednesday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 33. East southeast wind 5 to 8 mph becoming north. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 61. North northwest wind between 5 and 8 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. Northwest wind at 5 mph becoming east.
Friday: Scattered showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Friday Night: Scattered showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Saturday: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61.
Saturday Night: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38.
Sunday: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 56.
Sunday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40.
Monday: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 60.
Monday Night: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42.
Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 68.
I say the NWS is not very reliable, yet I continue to rely on them for the forecasts! Perhaps I'll change to The Weather Channel...
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