Finally! Some winter weather!

Better late than never, I suppose. It was quite chilly today, with mostly cloudy skies and temps stuck in the lower 50s. A weak weather system will move through our area overnight tonight, bringing trace amounts of rain to the valley
and maybe an inch of snow to the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada. We'll have a lull in the weather from tomorrow afternoon until Tuesday afternoon. Partly cloudy skies tomorrow night will mean plunging temps dipping into the upper 20s for lows in Chico by Tuesday morning. Clouds increase as Tuesday progresses, and rain is likely by Tuesday evening. There may be blizzard conditions in the Sierra Tuesday night and most of the day Wednesday, as snow piles up (up to a foot or more is expected above 5000 feet) and winds gust to 70 mph! A Winter Storm Watch has been issued for the northern Sierra Nevada for Tuesday night through early Thursday. In the valley (including Chico) expect rain showers on Wednesday and winds gusting to 30 mph. The storm moves out by Thursday afternoon, but the cold air stays as highs struggle to reach 50 degrees. By next weekend, sunny skies return with highs in the mid 60s (where we should be for early March). Here's Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Tonight: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. North northwest wind around 6 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 10am. Partly sunny, with a high near 50. South southeast wind around 6 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers before 10pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 28. East southeast wind between 5 and 7 mph.

Tuesday: Rain likely after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 52. South southeast wind between 8 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Tuesday Night: Rain. Low around 40. South southeast wind between 16 and 21 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Wednesday: Showers. High near 50. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33.

Thursday: A slight chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 51.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 40.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.