summer heat

After fairly typical summer weather this past weekend (highs in the lower to middle 90s under wall-to-wall sunshine), expect high temperatures to increase this work week. We may flirt with 100 degrees Wednesday through Friday. High temps will cool slightly by next Sunday into the mid 90s, but it will still be pretty hot. We'e not as toasty as some cities in the Great Plains; Wichita, Kansas reached 108 degrees yesterday! Here is the comparatively cool forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service: Today Sunny and hot, with a high near 97. Light and variable wind becoming south southwest around 6 mph in the morning. Tonight Clear, with a low around 66. Light and variable wind becoming east around 6 mph. Tuesday Sunny and hot, with a high near 97. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Tuesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 65. East southeast wind 8 to 10 mph. Wednesday Sunny and hot, with a high near 98. Light and variable wind becoming southwest around 6 mph in the afternoon. Wednesday Night Clear, with a low around 65. Thursday Sunny and hot, with a high near 99. Thursday Night Clear, with a low around 63. Friday Sunny and hot, with a high near 100. Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 60. Saturday Sunny and hot, with a high near 99. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 61. Sunday Sunny and hot, with a high near 96.

getting hot again

Yesterday was nice weatherwise in Chico, with sunny skies and a high temperature of 90 degrees. There was a bit of a southerly breeze, which kept the temps cooler than average. The rest of this weekend should see continued below average temperatures, but temps next week will begin to warm up as high pressure anchors itself over us, shutting off the Delta breeze. Look for highs to creep into the mid and upper 90s Monday through next Friday. Overnight lows will bottom out in the mid 60s. It will remain dry through the period. This morning is a good time to check out the Saturday Farmer's Market in downtown Chico. It's currently sunny and 68 degrees- nice weather to casually stroll the various vendor booths and stalls looking for that perfect squash or asparagus (or whatever other fruit or vegetable you are looking for). The market runs until 1 pm this afternoon- check it out, and help support our local farmers! Here is Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Today Sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Tonight Clear, with a low around 62. South wind around 7 mph becoming east northeast in the evening. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming south southwest around 6 mph in the afternoon. Sunday Night Clear, with a low around 63. South wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the evening. Monday Sunny, with a high near 95. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. Monday Night Clear, with a low around 64. Tuesday Sunny and hot, with a high near 97. Tuesday Night Clear, with a low around 63. Wednesday Sunny and hot, with a high near 97. Wednesday Night Clear, with a low around 64. Thursday Sunny and hot, with a high near 97. Thursday Night Clear, with a low around 63. Friday Sunny and hot, with a high near 96.

same old, same old

The weather has been uneventful (read: average) the past few days, with sunny skies and highs in the lower to middle 90s. This is right where we should be for late July. Expect more of the same for the next seven days, with high temps warming into the mid or upper 90s this weekend. Overnight lows will be in the low to mid 60s. As I like to call it- ho-hum weather. Here is Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 61. Southeast wind around 9 mph. Friday Sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming south southwest 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 61. East wind 7 to 10 mph. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 94. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon. Saturday Night Clear, with a low around 62. South wind around 7 mph becoming east northeast in the evening. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 95. Sunday Night Clear, with a low around 63. Monday Sunny, with a high near 95. Monday Night Clear, with a low around 62. Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 94. Tuesday Night Clear, with a low around 62. Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 94. Wednesday Night Clear, with a low around 63. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 94.

typical summer weather

It was more humid yesterday than usual, with the monsoonal flow streaming up from the south. This produced thunderstorms along the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountains yesterday morning and again in the afternoon. The lightning show was pretty vivid early yesterday morning; even though the thunderstorms were over the Blue Canyon and Lake Tahoe areas, I could still see some flashes of lightning from my house. No rain fell in Chico, and that trend will continue for awhile. A deepening trough over the California coast will bring in some cooler air to valley and mountain locations this week. We should see highs in the lower 90s by the end of this week- typical summer weather for us. Low temperatures will be mainly in the lower 60s. This is what I call Ho-Hum Weather- nothing exciting, just boring, repetitive weather. Here is Chico's seven day forecast (yawn) from the National Weather Service: Today Sunny, with a high near 95. South wind 3 to 8 mph. Tonight Clear, with a low around 62. Southeast wind around 9 mph. Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 93. South wind 3 to 8 mph. Wednesday Night Clear, with a low around 61. Southeast wind around 9 mph. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 92. South wind 3 to 7 mph. Thursday Night Clear, with a low around 59. Friday Sunny, with a high near 91. Friday Night Clear, with a low around 61. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 93. Saturday Night Clear, with a low around 61. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 93. Sunday Night Clear, with a low around 62. Monday Sunny, with a high near 94.

cooler this week

It was a pretty hot weekend in Chico, with the high temperature yesterday of 100 degrees and a high today of 104 degrees. It'll still be hot tomorrow as highs reach the upper 90s. A trough of low pressure passing to our north will increase the marine flow later this week, cooling temps down to below average by Thursday. Next weekend looks nice, with highs in the upper 80s to around 90 degrees. Sunshine will prevail for the next week. Here is Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Tonight Clear, with a low around 64. South wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm in the evening. Monday Sunny and hot, with a high near 99. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Monday Night Clear, with a low around 62. East southeast wind 6 to 8 mph. Tuesday Sunny and hot, with a high near 96. South wind 3 to 5 mph. Tuesday Night Clear, with a low around 60. Southeast wind 6 to 8 mph. Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 93. Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 61. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 92. Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 60. Friday Sunny, with a high near 91. Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 59. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 90. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 60. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 89.

hot weekend

After high temperatures in the low to mid 80s the past three days, temps will return to the 90s today through next week. Highs will be in the upper 90s to near 100 degrees for Saturday and Sunday. If you have any outdoor plans, be careful. Drink plenty of water and keep in the shade if you must be outside. Check on pets and make sure they have plenty of water, as well. By early next week, temps will be below average, which is 94 for the high this time of year. All in all so far this summer, it hasn't been too hot. We've had periods of hot weather, but it has been balanced by periods of below average temperatures. In fact, we haven't had a really atypically hot summer in over four years. I still believe Northern California's weather is being influenced by a cool pocket of ocean water just off the Pacific Northwest coast. This is creating overall moderate temperatures for us. How long this will last is unknown, but so far four years is quite impressive. Anyway, here is Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Today Sunny, with a high near 92. Light and variable wind becoming south around 6 mph in the morning. Tonight Clear, with a low around 63. South wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. Saturday Sunny and hot, with a high near 99. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Saturday Night Clear, with a low around 64. South wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable in the evening. Sunday Sunny and hot, with a high near 99. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable in the morning. Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 63. Monday Sunny and hot, with a high near 98. Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 63. Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 95. Tuesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 61. Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 92. Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 61. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 90.

cool weather followed by another heat wave

Chico and surrounding areas are seeing a bit of a marine layer this morning as strong southerly flow from the Delta transports cool ocean air into the valley. Hopefully this marine layer will burn off by mid morning and the sun will return. It won't be hot today at all as we will continue to experience the Delta breeze. Today's high won't get above 80 degrees- nearly unheard of during this time of year! The average high for July 17th is 94 degrees. Don't get used to the milder weather, as another hot spell looms ahead. By this weekend we will see temps back into the triple digits, and these temps might stick around into early next week. We won't think about that now, though. We'll focus on the nice, mild temps we're currently enjoying, and be thankful we have a brief rest before enduring more hot weather. Here's Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Today A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 77. South southeast wind 9 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Tonight Partly cloudy, with a low around 57. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. Wednesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Calm wind becoming south southeast 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon. Wednesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. East southeast wind 7 to 9 mph. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 87. South wind 3 to 7 mph. Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 62. Friday Sunny, with a high near 92. Friday Night Clear, with a low around 65. Saturday Sunny and hot, with a high near 100. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 66. Sunday Sunny and hot, with a high near 101. Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 66. Monday Sunny and hot, with a high near 102.

brief respite from the heat

Today's high temperature in Chico was 95 degrees under sunny skies. Southerly winds kicked in by mid-afternoon today, and this will usher in cooler (relatively speaking) air from the Sacramento River Delta to our south by tomorrow. The cooler air will last until the end of the week, and highs will be back into the mid 90s by next weekend. Southerly winds could be gusty at times tomorrow and tomorrow night. As is typical this time of year, no rain is in the forecast. We could use it, as the Mill fire to our west and the Robber fire near Lake Tahoe to our southeast continue to burn. Smoke occasionally drifts over our area from the Mill fire, though it hasn't been too bad today. The Mill fire is now over 27,000 acres in size and is 60% contained as of this morning. Here is Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 61. South southeast wind 6 to 11 mph. Monday Sunny, with a high near 87. South southeast wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Monday Night Increasing clouds, with a low around 57. Southeast wind 8 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Tuesday Partly sunny, with a high near 80. South southeast wind 7 to 9 mph. Tuesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 57. Southeast wind 7 to 9 mph. Wednesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Wednesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 90. Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 61. Friday Sunny, with a high near 93. Friday Night Clear, with a low around 62. Saturday Sunny and hot, with a high near 97. Saturday Night Clear, with a low around 63. Sunday Sunny and hot, with a high near 97.

heat wave is broken

Today's high temperature at the Chico Airport was 93 degrees. This breaks the consecutive days of high temps of 95 or above at six. Looking ahead, temps will continue to cool down as the Delta breeze picks up. By Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, look for highs only in the mid 80s. Nice! Normals for mid July are 94 for the high and 62 for the low. Don't forget, Slice of Chico is tomorrow in downtown Chico. It begins at 9 am. Slice of Chico is an annual event in which downtown merchants have a sort of sidewalk sale where shoppers can peruse good bargains and munch on slices of watermelon (hence, Slice of Chico). Check it out- the weather should cooperate. Here is Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 62. South southeast wind 6 to 11 mph becoming light south after midnight. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 64. South wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable in the evening. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 94. Calm wind. Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 63. South wind around 6 mph becoming east southeast in the evening. Monday Sunny, with a high near 92. 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 Sunny, with a high near 86. Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 59. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 90. Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 62. Friday Sunny, with a high near 94.

heat wave: day 6

The high temperature in Chico today was 105 degrees, continuing the streak of highs of 95 or above. Looking at the forecast, this trend looks to finally break on Monday as highs should only be around 93 degrees. That's where we should be on average for this time of year. At least it shouldn't be in the triple digits after today (hopefully). Upper level winds have allowed smoke from the Mill fire to blow across the Sacramento Valley today, resulting in very hazy conditions. I wonder how much this smoke affected the high temperature, in that if the smoke wasn't there could we have been hotter. Perhaps we'll never know;). Anyway, here is the (cooler) forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service: Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 64. South wind 5 to 8 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. Friday Sunny and hot, with a high near 99. Calm wind becoming south southeast 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon. Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 62. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light south southwest after midnight. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 95. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. Saturday Night Clear, with a low around 63. South southeast wind around 6 mph becoming northeast in the evening. Sunday Sunny and hot, with a high near 97. Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 62. Monday Sunny, with a high near 93. Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 60. Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 89. Tuesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 59. Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 88. Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 60. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 94.

heat wave: day 5

The streak of days at or above 95 degrees continues, with the high temperature in Chico today of 104 degrees. That's day 2 of triple digit temps. Tomorrow will be day three, with a forecast high of 104 degrees. However, Friday's high may not reach 100 degrees as this strong high pressure system that is responsible for this latest round of hot weather begins to weaken slightly. I say slightly because while it won't be as hot as today or tomorrow, it will still be at or above 95 degrees (or at least that's what is forecast). So, the streak will continue for awhile. Remember these safety tips for avoiding heat stroke: stay in the air conditioning as much as possible; if you do not have air conditioning, find a place that does, such as the mall or movie theater; if you have to work outdoors, take frequent breaks in the shade and drink plenty of water; and just don't overdo it. Here is Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Tonight Clear, with a low around 65. Light and variable wind becoming east northeast around 6 mph in the evening. Thursday Sunny and hot, with a high near 104. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 64. South wind 5 to 7 mph becoming east in the evening. Friday Sunny and hot, with a high near 99. Calm wind becoming south southeast 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 62. Southeast wind 6 to 8 mph. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 95.Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 63.Sunday Sunny and hot, with a high near 98.Sunday Night Clear, with a low around 63.Monday Sunny and hot, with a high near 98.Monday Night Clear, with a low around 62.Tuesday Sunny and hot, with a high near 96.Tuesday Night Clear, with a low around 61.Wednesday Sunny and hot, with a high near 97.

heat wave: day 4

Okay, now it's officially a heatwave. Today's high in Chico made it to 102 degrees, and it will only get hotter from here. Thursday looks to be the hottest day, with forecast high temperatures between 105-110. That's hot! Relief is in sight as cooler air (relatively speaking) moves in and moderates our temps to the lower 90s by the middle of next week. However, we have to endure the hot stuff until then. The Mill Valley fire continues to create a layer of smoke in the skies over Chico. The fire is now over 10,000 acres in size and full containment is not expected for at least 10 days. Thankfully, the smoke is fairly high up and not affecting us directly at the surface. It makes for some pretty spectacular sunsets, though. Here is Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Overnight Clear, with a low around 66. Northeast wind around 5 mph. Wednesday Sunny and hot, with a high near 104. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the morning. Wednesday Night Clear, with a low around 68. Calm wind becoming east northeast around 6 mph after midnight. Thursday Sunny and hot, with a high near 105. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 68. Southeast wind around 8 mph. Friday Sunny and hot, with a high near 103.Friday Night Clear, with a low around 66.Saturday Sunny and hot, with a high near 100.Saturday Night Clear, with a low around 65.Sunday Sunny and hot, with a high near 98.Sunday Night Clear, with a low around 64.Monday Sunny, with a high near 95.Monday Night Clear, with a low around 62.Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 93.

heat wave: day 3

It reached 95 degrees at the Chico Airport this afternoon. I think it would have been hotter if not for the layer of smoke obscuring the late afternoon sun. The smoke is from a wildfire burning in the Mendocino National Forest to the west of Chico. Called the Mill Valley fire, it is burning in mainly remote areas of the Coast Range mountains. The upper level winds are blowing the smoke towards us. Thankfully, the smoke is several thousand feet above us, so we can see it but can't smell it. The heat wave is set to continue, with highs the next several days in the triple digits. It may cool down into the 90s by Sunday, but for the next five days we will be baking. Here is Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Tuesday Sunny and hot, with a high near 103. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. Tuesday Night Clear, with a low around 64. South wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. Wednesday Sunny and hot, with a high near 104. Light and variable wind. Wednesday Night Clear, with a low around 68. South southeast wind 5 to 8 mph becoming light and variable in the evening. Thursday Sunny and hot, with a high near 104.Thursday Night Clear, with a low around 67.Friday Sunny and hot, with a high near 102.Friday Night Clear, with a low around 65.Saturday Sunny and hot, with a high near 100.Saturday Night Clear, with a low around 65.Sunday Sunny and hot, with a high near 96.Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 64.Monday Sunny, with a high near 94.

heat wave: day 2

Day 2 of the heat wave in Chico. The high temperature at Chico Municipal Airport reached 100 degrees today, making it two days in a row of 95+ degree temperatures. It looks like the streak will continue through next weekend, and we may see four consecutive days of triple digit heat Tuesday through Friday. This heat wave will be nothing compared to the heat wave of 2006, in which Chico saw 11 straight days of highs at or above 100 degrees. Now THAT was a hot summer! Overnight lows the next seven days will be in the mid 60s. Get ready for a hot work week! Here's Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Tonight Clear, with a low around 62. Southeast wind 3 to 8 mph. Monday Sunny and hot, with a high near 99. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. Monday Night Clear, with a low around 64. South wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the evening. Tuesday Sunny and hot, with a high near 102. Calm wind. Tuesday Night Clear, with a low around 66. South wind 5 to 7 mph becoming east northeast in the evening. Wednesday Sunny and hot, with a high near 104. Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 67. Thursday Sunny and hot, with a high near 103. Thursday Night Clear, with a low around 64. Friday Sunny and hot, with a high near 100. Friday Night Clear, with a low around 65. Saturday Sunny and hot, with a high near 99. Saturday Night Clear, with a low around 64. Sunday Sunny and hot, with a high near 96.

heat wave: day 1

I'm going to try to keep a record of the number of consecutive days with temps at or above 95 degrees for Chico. Today was day 1, with the high in Chico of 98 degrees. Denver recorded 14 straight days at or above 95 degrees; Washington, DC notched 10 days in a row with temps at or above 95 degrees. I don't think Chico can match those records. We may see at least seven straight days of temps at or above 95 degrees, with at least three of the next seven days at or above 100 degrees. By next weekend, highs may only reach seasonal levels (93 degrees is the normal high for this time of year). Here is Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Tonight Clear, with a low around 66. South southeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm after midnight. Sunday Sunny and hot, with a high near 99. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Sunday Night Clear, with a low around 63. South wind 5 to 9 mph becoming east in the evening. Monday Sunny and hot, with a high near 99. Calm wind becoming south southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Monday Night Clear, with a low around 63. South wind 5 to 7 mph becoming east in the evening. Tuesday Sunny and hot, with a high near 101. Tuesday Night Clear, with a low around 66. Wednesday Sunny and hot, with a high near 103. Wednesday Night Clear, with a low around 66. Thursday Sunny and hot, with a high near 101. Thursday Night Clear, with a low around 65. Friday Sunny and hot, with a high near 98. Friday Night Clear, with a low around 62. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 93.

hot stretch coming

Sorry I haven't posted in a week. My internet service went down and was just fixed today. The joys of living in the country, I guess. Anyway, the weather the past seven days in Chico has been rather uneventful, with sunny skies and high temps ranging from the upper 80s to mid 90s. However, starting tomorrow and lasting through the end of next week, expect temps to soar into the upper 90s to just north of the century mark. In fact, we could see five days in a row of triple digit heat, from Sunday through next Thursday. We may start to cool down (relatively speaking) into the mid 90s by next Friday. Ugh. I hate the heat. Oh, well, it is July, after all. At least it'll cool into the 60s at night. Here is Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Tonight Clear, with a low around 62. South wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the evening. Saturday Sunny and hot, with a high near 98. Calm wind becoming west southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Saturday Night Clear, with a low around 63. Light and variable wind becoming east around 5 mph after midnight. Sunday Sunny and hot, with a high near 101. Calm wind becoming south southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Sunday Night Clear, with a low around 63. South wind 5 to 9 mph becoming east in the evening. Monday Sunny and hot, with a high near 100. Monday Night Clear, with a low around 64. Tuesday Sunny and hot, with a high near 101. Tuesday Night Clear, with a low around 67. Wednesday Sunny and hot, with a high near 101. Wednesday Night Clear, with a low around 65. Thursday Sunny and hot, with a high near 100. Thursday Night Clear, with a low around 65. Friday Sunny, with a high near 95.