saner temperatures

Or is that "more sane?" Anyway, it looks like that cooldown I was mentioning in earlier posts will still occur, but not as cool as previously thought. Still, temps will be near normal for the next few days. Currently in Chico it's 98 degrees; yesterday it was 101 at this time. So it's already begun to cool off a little. The Delta breeze will be responsible for the cooler temps. The Delta breeze is a weather phenomenon in which winds from the south help transport cooler marine air from the Delta region to our south (basically where the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers meet and flow into the San Francisco Bay, and, eventually, the Pacific Ocean) into the central and northern Sacramento Valley. When we get winds from the north during the summer (and the winter, for that matter), it is a downsloping wind. Air flow comes down from the mountains to our north and west, compressing and warming the air. A north/ northwesterly wind can raise temps by as much as 15-20 degrees above normal, while simultaneously dropping humidity levels to the single digits. During the winter, a northerly wind can be nice, especially after many days of fog and chilly temps. In the summer, though, a northerly wind can make it feel like a dry sauna. Interestingly, a southerly wind, while cooling us off in the summer, can also transport air pollution from Sacramento and the Bay area right up the Sacramento Valley. Haze and unhealthy air often results. A northerly wind, however, clears out the air and raises visibilities to 100 miles. So, there are tradeoffs with both wind directions. Now that I've given you a lesson on wind patterns in Northern California, here is the detailed seven day forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Tonight: Clear, with a low around 62. North northwest wind between 3 and 7 mph.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming south between 5 and 8 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 62. Southeast wind between 3 and 8 mph.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 89. Light and variable wind.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 60. South southeast wind around 6 mph becoming north.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 89.

Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 61.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 93.

Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 63.

Independence Day: Sunny, with a high near 95.

Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 63.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 91.

Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 62.

Tuesday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 100.