blessed relief coming

After a scorching hot 104 degree high yesterday, today has been ten degrees cooler in Chico. The high temperature so far today has been 94 degrees. Still hot, but not as hot as it has been. Plus, there's good news for those ready for some heat relief- temps will fall back into the 70s by early next week. Whoo-hoo!! This weekend will be the transition, as temps will fall slowly from the mid 90s tomorrow to the mid 80s by Sunday. The temps warm back up into the 80s by the middle of next week, but at least we're done with the triple digit heat for awhile (hopefully for the rest of the year!). Here's the detailed forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 60. South southeast wind between 5 and 8 mph.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59. Southeast wind between 3 and 6 mph.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 93. West northwest wind around 6 mph becoming south southwest.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 58. Southeast wind between 7 and 9 mph.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 82.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 56.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 77.

Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 55.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 78.

Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 56.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 83.

Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 57.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 87.

scorching weather

It has been scorchingly hot all over the state of California the past couple of days. The San Francisco Bay area has seen temps in the 90s and triple digits; Los Angeles recorded its all time record high yesterday of 113 degrees (!); and here in Chico we saw 98 degrees both Sunday and yesterday (Monday). Meanwhile (I sound like a Superfriends episode) the current temperature in Chico is a blistering 103 degrees. Not quite a record, but still abnormally hot. We should be right around 86 degrees for the end of September. Fear not, for cooler weather is on the way! By the latter part of the weekend, we'll see highs only in the lower to middle 80s. Nice! Here are the details from the National Weather Service:

Tonight: Clear, with a low around 65. Light and variable wind.

Wednesday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 101. Northwest wind between 3 and 6 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 60. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.

Thursday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 96. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 60. South wind 5 to 7 mph becoming east.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 95.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 91.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 58.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 85.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 57.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 81.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 56.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 87.

Take it easy if you have to be outdoors the rest of the week. Take frequent breaks, find some shade, and drink plenty of water.

fall heat wave

Last Thursday may have been the first day of astronomical fall (September 1st was the first day of meteorological fall), but Mother Nature apparently pays no attention to human timescales. Yesterday's high temperature was a scorching 95 degrees, and it should remain at or above 90 degrees for the next seven days. With the recent mild weather we've been experiencing, some of the Chinese Pistache trees have begun to show their fall colors, mainly gorgeous reds and oranges. With this heat, many have turned into a dull bronze color. Plus, it's rather difficult to get into the spirit of Halloween when you're at the local pumpkin patch looking for just the perfect pumpkin and sweating under 95 degree heat. You'd rather be swimming in a lake or pool! Oh, well. Such is the weather here in the Sacramento Valley. We have some of the most fertile, productive farmland on Earth, but also some of the hottest temperatures, as well. It's amazing to me that we have all of this fertile soil, huge oak trees, and abundant water, yet we also have desert-like heat! Here's the latest forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Today: Sunny, with a high near 94. Light and variable wind.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 60. North wind between 3 and 5 mph.

Monday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 99. North northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm.

Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 60. Light and variable wind.

Tuesday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 98. Light north northwest wind.

Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 57.

Wednesday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 97.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 93.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 93.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 90.

more heat on the way

The past several days weather wise in Chico have been fantastic, with clear skies and temps in the 70s and lower 80s (currently in Chico it's 82 degrees). Enjoy it while it lasts, because triple digit heat will return with a vengeance by early next week. High temperatures will warm each day for the next five days, from the lower 90s tomorrow to around 100 degrees for Monday and Tuesday of next week. Fortunately, the heat doesn't last, as it will cool down (that being a relative term) to the lower 90s by the end of next week. It'll still be above normal, however, as Chico should be right around 87 degrees this time of year. There are also many big events happening in the Chico area this weekend, including Chico Palio, the kick-off event to Artoberfest this Saturday at Downtown Plaza; the Chico Air Show begins tomorrow and runs through Sunday at Chico Municipal Airport, 5 miles north of the city; and the Salmon Festival in Oroville, which includes a Native American ceremony, a street fair, and a farmer's market, all taking place in downtown Oroville and Lake Oroville this Saturday. For other events, check out this week's Chico News and Review via the link to the right or free at many locations around Chico. If you're going to any of these events (many of which are outdoors), dress for the weather and bring plenty of water. Here's the latest forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Tonight: Clear, with a low around 58. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 91. North northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 61. Calm wind becoming north northeast around 5 mph.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 94. Light and variable wind.

Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 60. South wind at 7 mph becoming northeast.

Sunday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 97.

Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 62.

Monday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 101.

Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 63.

Tuesday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 101.

Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 62.

Wednesday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 98.

Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 62.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 93.

the 90s return

And I'm not referring to fashion trends from the 1990s, either! Okay, bad jokes aside, Chico did not receive much rain from this storm that rolled through over the weekend. One very isolated storm dropped .05" on Chico yesterday evening, after this same storm dropped over an inch on some parts of Glenn and Tehama Counties! That heavy rain prompted flood advisories for those counties from the National Weather Service late yesterday afternoon. All of that rain and storminess have moved on, and we can expect a dry, comfortable work week. However, as I was alluding to in my blog title for today, the 90s return this weekend and look to stick around through early next week. Sigh, and I was all ready for fall! Oh, well. Fall weather doesn't usually come around Chico until about mid-October, so I was getting ahead of myself. Plus, the average high temp for Chico this time of year is around 87-88 degrees, so we won't be too far above the average this weekend. Anyhoo, here is the latest forecast for Chico from the NWS:

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 49. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 81. Calm wind becoming south between 4 and 7 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. South southeast wind around 7 mph.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. South southeast wind between 3 and 6 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 48. South wind at 7 mph becoming east northeast.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 83.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 87.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 91.

Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 62.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 90.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 60.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 92.

after rain, dry and mild

Yesterday's high temperature in Chico managed to make it up to 85 degrees, despite the off-and-on clouds and southerly breeze. It'll be a tad cooler today, as morning low clouds give way to partial sunshine later this morning, but more clouds will arrive later this afternoon. Winds from the south will pick up, as well, with speeds of up to 15 to 20 mph by this evening. Rain will begin sometime tomorrow, although I don't think we'll get very much. If we get more than a tenth of an inch, I'll be surprised. The rain will move out as quickly as it arrived, and the sun will return by Monday. Temps stay below average through the upcoming work week- mainly in the low to mid 80s. Here's the detailed day-by-day forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Today: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81. South wind between 3 and 9 mph.

Tonight: A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. South southeast wind between 10 and 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.

Sunday: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 75. South southeast wind between 6 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain before 11pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 57. Light and variable wind.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Calm wind becoming southwest around 6 mph.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 56.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 81.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 55.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 55.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 83.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 57.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 84.

rain likely this weekend

It seems unusual to me to have rain likely this early in the season. Normally September is warm and dry for Chico, and, with the exception of September 8th, this month has been warm and dry. Rain looks increasingly likely, however, as a fairly potent trough makes its way into our area from the Pacific Ocean. Sunday looks like the wetter day so far, with mainly cloudy skies and a slight chance of rain for Saturday. Temps will really cool down, as well, with temperatures some 15 degrees cooler this weekend than what we've seen the past few days. And, it appears that temps won't rebound as quickly early next week, staying in the mild mid 80s. Could it be that Chico will see no more 90 degree days the rest of the calendar year? My gut says no, but we'll have to wait and see. As far as events in Chico this upcoming weekend, there are numerous art show openings at some of our many art galleries around town. Live theater is in abundance this weekend, as there are shows happening at Chico Theater Company (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers); lesbian pulp fiction with Rogue Theater (The Beebo Brinko Chronicles- for more info on this, see the article in this week's News and Review); and a production of Mornings at Seven by Theater on the Ridge up in Paradise. However, the BIG event this weekend is the annual Chico World Music Festival on the grounds of Chico State University. I attended last year's event, and saw the amazing Perla Battala perform. This year's festival will no doubt be spectacular, with Ozomatli opening the festival at Laxson Auditorium tomorrow night (Friday). The festival runs all day both Saturday and Sunday, and there will be various food and merchant vendors scattered about, as well, selling cuisine and trinkets from around the world. Hopefully Sunday won't be an all day washout! Here's the detailed seven day forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 57. South southeast wind around 7 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming south between 7 and 10 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. South southeast wind between 7 and 11 mph.

Saturday: A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. South southeast wind between 7 and 13 mph.

Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. South southeast wind between 8 and 13 mph.

Sunday: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 56.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 52.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 83.

Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 55.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 83.

rain for the weekend?

It looks as though there is a chance of rain for Saturday and a chance of showers for Sunday, along with much cooler temperatures. The rest of this work week looks warm and sunny, with seasonal temps and low humidity. Friday will be the day of transition, however, as clouds and humidity increase and the temperature drops from the 80s into the 70s. By early next week, though, we'll see dry conditions and warmer temps once again. However, it looks like, in the near term, the 90s are a thing of the past. Here are the details for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. South southeast wind around 6 mph becoming calm.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. South southeast wind between 3 and 6 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. Southeast wind around 7 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 78.

Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59.

Saturday: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76.

Saturday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59.

Sunday: A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 77.

Sunday Night: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 54.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83.

perhaps showers next weekend?

Today's high temperature in Chico was a hot 94 degrees. However, it should be nearly ten degrees cooler tomorrow as the high pressure system responsible for this warm weekend weakens a bit. By next weekend we could see some showers as a trough of low pressure digs into the Pacific Northwest. Temps will cool to around 80 degrees both Saturday and next Sunday. Before then, highs will reach into the upper 80s for the middle and end of this upcoming work week. Sunny skies will dominate for most of the week, as well. It won't be long until cooler fall temps begin to appear! Bring on the autumn foliage! Here's Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Tonight: Clear, with a low around 54. Light and variable wind.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 86. Calm wind becoming south southeast around 6 mph.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53. South southeast wind at 6 mph becoming east northeast.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. South wind around 6 mph becoming east.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 88.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 58.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 89.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59.

Saturday: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81.

Saturday Night: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59.

Sunday: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81.

nice weather

The weather the past few days has been stellar, with highs mainly in the 70s and 80s (normally this time of year Chico sees highs right around 90 degrees). It'll warm up this weekend, with highs expected in the upper 80s to lower 90s. By early next work week, though, temps back off into the mid 80s. Combined with low humidity, those temps should be very pleasant. The big event happening this weekend is the Taste of Chico, going on tomorrow (Sunday). This is an annual event, always occurring the Sunday after Labor Day. Many local restaurants have booths set up where, with the purchase of a ticket, you can sample some of the items on their menus. Local bands will also play live on stages set up around downtown Chico. It's a lot of fun, and a great local event that adds to the charm of Chico. Get there early to avoid the crowds and the heat of the day. Here's the latest detailed seven day forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service:

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

Tonight: Clear, with a low around 54. South southeast wind around 6 mph becoming north northeast.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 92. Light and variable wind.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. South southeast wind around 5 mph.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 86. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 87.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 58.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 87.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 88.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 60.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83.

major deluge

Chico got pounded last evening with a storm that dropped up to an inch (in some spots, more than an inch) of rainfall in less than 30 minutes. The storm remained stationary over Chico for about an hour. I managed to get a couple of nice pictures of the storm clouds over Chico last evening, and I've posted one of those pics to the right. The unofficial Chico weather reporting site south of town measured only .46", but downtown in particular got hit hard with heavy rain. Streets turned into torrential creeks as water overflowed gutters. Some buildings (including my workplace) suffered minor flood damage. What was interesting about this storm was the isolated nature of it (Oroville residents saw no rain, while Paradise residents, eight miles to the east, saw only sprinkles) and the fact that it was stationary over Chico for a long period of time. It was very unusual, and some parts of Chico picked up a whole month's worth of precipitation in just a couple of hours. This should not happen again for the forseeable future as high pressure works its way over our area and stays for the next week or so. Temperatures will warm up (the high in Chico yesterday was only 72 degrees) into the mid and upper 80s by this weekend. However, they should stay below 90 degrees for awhile. That'll make the weather a lot more bearable! Here's the detailed seven day forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service:

This Afternoon: Sunny, with a high near 78. Light south wind.

Tonight: Clear, with a low around 51. South wind around 6 mph becoming calm.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 85. Northwest wind between 3 and 5 mph.

Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 53. Calm wind becoming east northeast around 5 mph.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 85. Light and variable wind.

Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 59.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 89.

Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 57.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 87.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 57.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 87.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 57.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 85.

City of Chico Adopts Climate Action Plan

This is cool news from the Chico Enterprise Record newspaper:

CHICO -- The Chico City Council made progress toward its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions Tuesday, directing the creation of a citywide Climate Action Plan and approving initial actions that could help the city reach its ultimate target emissions level.

In 2006, AB 32 was signed into law, mandating that Californian cities reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.

As a result of that action, the city of Chico established the Sustainability Task Force, which, in addition to a number of other tasks, has focused on developing strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Some of those initial solutions were presented to the council Tuesday night, with Fletcher Alexander, a city intern and Chico State University grad, offering an overview of the city's current and projected greenhouse gas emissions.

Alexander said an emissions inventory accepted by the council in 2008 reported 2005 greenhouse gas emissions to be 516,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Alexander said if no action is taken, that number is anticipated to reach 704,000 tons by 2020 — the same year the city is expected to reach its target reduction goal of 387,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

With those statistics in mind, Alexander and City Management Analyst Linda Herman said city government, local businesses and individual residents need to take a series of steps over the next 10 years to achieve the city's

greenhouse gas emissions goal — identifying the most significant action as the development of a city Climate Action Plan.
The plan is anticipated to include a comprehensive list of actions that can be taken to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions, identifying costs, responsibilities, timelines and potential funding sources for those actions.

But the plan itself comes with a price tag, with Herman saying the city has already spent approximately $10,000 in grant funding on developing the plan up until this point.

She estimated the plan would cost an additional $30,000, noting that those costs could be covered by the city's Energy Conservation and Efficiency Block Grant funds. She noted that sum does not include her staff time to work with the Sustainability Task Force.

Regardless of the costs, however, Chico resident Karen Laslo said funding the plan is well worth the benefits it will provide.

"I don't think the Climate Action Plan is much of a sacrifice," Laslo said. "It's the least we can do."

Mark Stemen of Chico agreed.

"It's not about money," Stemen said. "It's about priorities."

He urged the council to make the plan its main priority, saying the city needs to take swift action to mitigate the impacts of global warming.

But Councilor Larry Wahl contested whether a Climate Action Plan, or its subsequent directives, would produce any "tangible benefit" to Chico.

"I do not literally see what this will accomplish ... Will the sky be bluer? Will anything be prettier?" Wahl asked.

Holcombe said he didn't want the city to take the chance that it wouldn't.

"Nature is not waiting and certainly I don't want the city of Chico to wait," Holcombe said.

The rest of the council supported Holcombe.

By a 6-1 vote with Wahl dissenting, the council directed the creation of a Climate Action Plan, simultaneously approving a number of actions to be implemented in the first phase of the plan.

The initial measures largely focus on efforts the city itself can take, including installing LED streetlights and upgrading lighting in city buildings and city facilities.

The construction of the First and Second Street Couplet Project and the Highway 99 Bike Corridor project — projects already under way — are also included on the list of proposed city actions.

Councilor Scott Gruendl noted that the first phase does not impose any regulations on individual citizens or businesses, with Herman saying a "gradual approach" to target goals will be stressed in the Climate Action Plan.

The plan will be developed by city staff and the Sustainability Task Force over the next few months and is anticipated to be presented to the council for approval in early 2011.

nice weather for September

Usually this time of year Chico still sees high temperatures well into the 90s. But, after a high yesterday of just 87 degrees, Chico will see highs only in the low 70s today under mainly overcast skies. That's another anomaly for this time of year- usually September is a very sunny month, but today the sunshine will be limited. There's even a slight chance we could see a stray shower, but don't hold your breath on that one. The sun returns in full abundance tomorrow as temperatures warm up in response to the sunshine. However, it appears that in the short term there will be no scorching hot temperatures. In fact, temps will be below average for the next seven days. Very nice! I'm hoping this cooler than average trend continues well into the fall. I wonder if La Nina has any role in that? Here's the detailed seven day forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Today: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72. South wind between 6 and 8 mph.

Tonight: A 20 percent chance of showers before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 51. Light and variable wind.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 77. Calm wind.

Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 52. South wind at 7 mph becoming north northeast.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 83. North northwest wind between 5 and 8 mph.

Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 53.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 84.

Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 53.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 84.

Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 53.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 83.

Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 53.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 85.

another cool period

After high temperatures in the mid 90s the past four days, Chico will see temps over twenty degrees cooler by the middle of this week. It will feel more like late October than early September, as a strong cold front pushes through the region. So, one more day (tomorrow) of warm weather before much cooler temps prevail. Even by next weekend, temps will only top out in the mid 80s, which is a good 5 degrees below average. No rain is in the forecast for the next week, so be careful when working with fire outdoors. It is tinder dry out there! Here's the latest forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Tonight: Clear, with a low around 60. North northwest wind between 3 and 7 mph.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming south between 5 and 8 mph.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. South wind 5 to 15 mph becoming east. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph.

Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a high near 71. South southeast wind around 8 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 77.

Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 55.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 84.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 57.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 85.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 57.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 85.

heat will abate

It has been fairly toasty the past two days, with yesterday's high temperature in Chico at 99 degrees and today's high at 97 so far. It looks like Chico will endure two more days of hot temps before cooling down Sunday. By the middle of next week, we could see highs only around 80 degrees as a strong trough of low pressure moves through, ushering in more marine air. In the meantime, though, we'll have to sweat it out. I'm going camping this weekend down in the Napa Valley, so I won't update my blog again until next Monday at the earliest. I'm off to have some enjoyable R&R and have some fun out in nature! Here's the seven day forecast for CHico from the National Weather Service to tide you over until I return:

Tonight: Clear, with a low around 63. South southeast wind between 5 and 8 mph becoming calm.

Friday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 99. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph.

Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 61. Southeast wind between 3 and 10 mph.

Saturday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 96. North northwest wind at 6 mph becoming south.

Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 60. South wind at 9 mph becoming east.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 87.

Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 58.

Labor Day: Sunny, with a high near 86.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 59.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 81.

welcome to September... and the heat

Hot weather is forecast for the rest of this week and even into the weekend for the Northstate. Chico will be flirting with the century mark both tomorrow and Friday, and mid 90s will invade for Saturday. There is hope of a cooldown in temperatures later in the weekend as the strong dome of high pressure that will be providing the heat moves eastward. Unfortunately, it looks like at least some of the holiday weekend will be hot. Labor Day itself should be nice, with highs in the mid 80s. If you have the day off, that would be the day to grill or picnic outdoors. Whatever you do, be safe, have fun and celebrate the time off by reflecting what you do for a living... kind of ironic, no? Anyway, here's the specific Chico seven day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: Sunny and hot, with a high near 97. North wind between 7 and 10 mph.

Tonight: Clear, with a low around 65. North northwest wind between 5 and 8 mph.

Thursday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 100. North northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 64. Southeast wind between 3 and 6 mph.

Friday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 101. Light and variable wind.

Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 61.

Saturday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 96.

Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 60.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 90.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 58.

Labor Day: Sunny, with a high near 85.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82.