bad hair day alert

There is a Wind Advisory for the Sacramento Valley (including Chico) beginning at 9am this morning and lasting until 6pm this evening. A strong high pressure system in the Pacific is moving east, pushing a low pressure system into the intermountain west. That is causing a huge pressure gradient, which results in strong winds at the surface. Winds are expected to be sustained at 15-30 mph, with gusts to 45 mph. A bad hair day, indeed. Yesterday was the warmest February 4th in 105 years, as Chico tied the record for that date at 75 degrees. That's 18 degrees above normal! The reason for this warmth is due to downsloping northerly winds, which compress and warm up the air as it descends from high to low altitudes. Just think if this were August and not February- normal high for August 4th in Chico is around 94 degrees. If you add 18 degrees to that, that would be 112 degrees! Just a little comparison and perspective, I guess. My point is, it is abnormally warm for this time of year, and it will stay that way for a while. In addition, there is no rain in the forecast for at least the next seven days. I fear we're going to have a very dry summer, with fire danger as bad if not worse than 2008. I hope not. Maybe we'll have a wet spring. Here's the warm and windy forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: Sunny, with a high near 68. North northwest wind between 10 and 18 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 43. North wind between 10 and 14 mph.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 67. North northwest wind between 8 and 10 mph.

Sunday Night: Patchy fog after 10pm. Otherwise, clear, with a low around 40. North wind around 7 mph.

Monday: Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 63. East northeast wind at 9 mph becoming northwest.

Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 39.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 62.

Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 37.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 62.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 37.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 62.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 37.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 62.

I've noticed the National Weather Service is always conservative in their forecasts. For example, the Wind Advisory states wind gusts today of 45 mph, but the NWS states only 22 mph gusts. Also, yesterday's forecast high temperature in Chico, according to the NWS, was 68 degrees. The actual high temp was 75 degrees. It's a head scratcher!