staying hot

The high temperature yesterday in Chico was 94 degrees; so far today's high has been 95 degrees at the airport. Not the 100 degrees expected for today, but still hot. Tomorrow will continue to be hot, but a cooldown is expected by Wednesday. Highs by the end of the week will be in the mid 80s. That is much more tolerable. Low temps will also cool from the lower 60s tomorrow morning into the mid 50s by week's end. Also, tomorrow is the first day of October, which also kicks off Artoberfest, a month-long celebration of art of all forms in Chico. There is a link on my page to the Artoberfest website, showing all of the arts-related events happening this next month. Check it out. Here is Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Tonight Clear, with a low around 59. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph after midnight. Monday Sunny and hot, with a high near 99. North wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable in the morning. Monday Night Clear, with a low around 60. South southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Tuesday Sunny and hot, with a high near 97. Light and variable wind becoming west southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Tuesday Night Clear, with a low around 59. Light east northeast wind. Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 92. Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 55. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 89. Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 55. Friday Sunny, with a high near 86. Friday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 53. Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Saturday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 54. Sunday Partly sunny, with a high near 82.

hot in the city

With apologies to Billy Idol, it is hot in the city! Currently it is 99 degrees at the Chico Municipal Airport, and more heat is on the way. For perspective, the average high temperature in Chico for the end of September is 86 degrees. We will be 10-15 degrees above that for the next several days! Strong high pressure is responsible for this intense early fall heat. Low temperatures will also be mild- low 60s for Chico and only low 70s for foothills locations east of Chico (this includes my house). By the end of next week, highs are predicted to be more seasonal for this time of year- mid 80s. That's much better! So after Monday, expect a slow cooling trend. Two big events going on this weekend in Chico: The bi- yearly Chico Air Show, running both Saturday and Sunday at the Chico Municipal Airport (check out the Canadian Snow Birds!), and the Bidwell Bark- a run and walk that your dog can participate in to raise funds for Butte Humane Society. There's a 5k run/walk, breakfast, games, and more. It, of course, happens in Bidwell Park. Remember these heat safety tips, especially if you are going to the Air Show (there is no shade at the airport): wear light- weight, light- colored clothing; drink plenty of water, and stay in the air conditioning as much as possible. Ensure your pets have shade and plenty of water if they must be outside. I can't wait for fall weather to arrive! Here is Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 59. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 95. Calm wind becoming northwest around 6 mph in the afternoon. Saturday Night Clear, with a low around 60. Light and variable wind. Sunday Sunny and hot, with a high near 100. Northwest wind around 6 mph. Sunday Night Clear, with a low around 62. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming northeast in the evening. Monday Sunny and hot, with a high near 99. Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 59. Tuesday Sunny and hot, with a high near 97. Tuesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 59. Wednesday Sunny and hot, with a high near 96. Wednesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 55. Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Thursday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 55. Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.

triple digits this weekend?

100 degrees this Sunday? Are the weather forecasters crazy? The only explanation I can come up with for it being so hot is that winds will shift to the north/ northwest on Saturday and Sunday. That means downsloping winds, which tend to heat the air up rapidly. Once the north winds calm down, expect the temps to cool down. By next Wednesday highs should be around 90 degrees. That's still above average, but 10 degrees cooler than what's expected Sunday. I was so looking forward to cooler weather starting soon, but I guess I'll have to be patient. Sigh. Here's the still- summery forecast from the National Weather Service: Tonight Clear, with a low around 57. Light east northeast wind. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Thursday Night Clear, with a low around 59. South southeast wind around 6 mph becoming north northeast after midnight. Friday Sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon. Friday Night Clear, with a low around 60. South southeast wind around 5 mph becoming north in the evening. Saturday Sunny and hot, with a high near 96. Saturday Night Clear, with a low around 59. Sunday Sunny and hot, with a high near 100. Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 59. Monday Sunny and hot, with a high near 96. Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 58. Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Tuesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 55. Wednesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 90.

summer lag

It was a hot one in Chico today, as the mercury climbed to 94 degrees. The normal high for September 25th is 86 degrees. The heat ain't going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, it is expected to become hotter as the week grinds on. Seasonal lag, indeed. Summer does not want to leave us, it seems. Hopefully by early next week we can get the high temperatures back below 90 degrees. Overnight lows will also be warmer than average, mainly in the upper 50s. The normal low this time of year is 55 degrees. I want fall! Here is Chico's hot forecast from the National Weather Service: Tonight Clear, with a low around 57. East northeast wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable in the evening. Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 90. Light and variable wind becoming south southeast 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Wednesday Night Clear, with a low around 57. Light and variable wind becoming east northeast around 5 mph after midnight. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 92. Light and variable wind. Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 59. South southwest wind around 5 mph becoming northeast in the evening. Friday Sunny, with a high near 92.Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 60.Saturday Sunny, with a high near 95.Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 60.Sunday Sunny, with a high near 95.Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 58.Monday Sunny, with a high near 91.Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 59.Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 88.

heating up late this week

Just when you thought summer was over and were ready to embrace the cooler days of autumn, get ready for more summer- like heat. It has been fairly warm the past few days in Chico, with high temps in the lower 90s. That pattern will hold for the next several days, with the exception of Monday and Wednesday, when highs will stay below 90 degrees. However, as the month of September winds down, high temperatures will heat up. Highs by next weekend will creep into the mid 90s! We should see normal highs in late September of 86-87 degrees. Low temps will be in the upper 50s during the next seven days. Here's Chico's forecast from the National Weather Service: Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 56. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north after midnight. Monday Sunny, with a high near 88. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 57. West southwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm after midnight. Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 90. Light and variable wind. Tuesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 57. South wind around 6 mph becoming east northeast in the evening. Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 89. Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 57. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 90. Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 58. Friday Sunny, with a high near 92. Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 59. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 94. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 59. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 95.

eventful weekend in Chico

Talk about an action- packed weekend in Chico! Even Oroville, 20 miles down the road from Chico, has a big event this weekend. The annual Salmon Festival is there, beginning today and lasting through Sunday. Food, art, and entertainment will abound (I'm assuming salmon will be on the menu). Here in Chico, it's all about the festivals. The Wild and Scenic Film Festival is at the Sierra Nevada Big Room tonight; Chico Earthdance will be held in Bidwell Park tomorrow and Sunday; Hardly Strictly Chico brings the local bands out to play at the Chico Women's Club on Sunday; the Northstate Symphony opens its season at Laxson Auditorium Sunday with "Experience the Beat," featuring Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Dvorak's New World Symphony; and Carousel (the musical) is playing at Chico Theater Company all this weekend. Whew! I'm sure I forgot something; check out the Chico News and Review and the Chico Enterprise Record for more info. Weatherwise, expect the same old thing: sunshine, with highs in the upper 80s to around 90 degrees. Also, the first day of autumn is tomorrow! Here is Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Today Sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming south southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 56. South wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Saturday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 57. East southeast wind 5 to 7 mph. Sunday Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. South southeast wind 5 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. Sunday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 54. Monday Sunny, with a high near 89. Monday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Tuesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 57. Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 87. Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 57. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 90.

not so cool forecast

It appears the forecast high temperatures have been increased a bit over yesterday's forecast for the next seven days. High temps are now predicted to be in the mid 80s for early next week, rather than around 80. Highs the rest of this week will remain right around 90 degrees. The average high for mid- September is 89 degrees, so we're not too far off of that. Yesterday's high temperature in Chico was 90 degrees. Sunshine, as ususual, will abound. Here is the latest seven day forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service: Today:Sunny, with a high near 89. South wind 3 to 6 mph. Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 53. Southeast wind 6 to 8 mph. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming south southwest around 6 mph in the morning. Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 54. South wind around 6 mph becoming east in the evening. Friday Sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 58. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 89. Saturday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. Sunday Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Sunday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 55. Monday Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Monday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 57. Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 83.

nice cooldown coming?

The National Weather Service is predicting highs around 80 degrees by next Monday. Nice! I hope that happens; we've had a long hot August and the first part of September. Yesterday's high temperature in Chico was 92 degrees- that makes 15 consecutive days of 90 degrees or hotter in Chico. That's almost unheard of in September! The rest of the week should see highs in the upper 80s, which is right where we should be for this time of year. Fall needs to hurry up and get here! Here is Chico's seven day forecast from the NWS: Today Sunny, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 55. South wind around 5 mph becoming east in the evening. Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 54. East southeast wind around 6 mph. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 56. Friday Sunny, with a high near 89. Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 57. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 87. Saturday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Sunday Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Sunday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 54. Monday Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.

broken record weather

This is the time of year when the weather is stable and predictable. The weather is basically the same day after day, hence the term "broken record weather." The forecast seems like a broken record: Sunny skies, clear nights, with high temps in the lower 90s and overnight lows in the upper 50s/ low 60s. That's pretty much what we're going to get in the Northstate the next seven days. It may cool down to the upper 80s by the end of this upcoming week. Otherwise, it's broken record weather! It was a hot weekend in Chico, with the high temperature both yesterday (Saturday) and today of 94 degrees. Not quite as hot this week. Normals for Chico for mid-September are 90 for the high and 55 for the low. Here is Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Tonight Clear, with a low around 54. South southeast wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable. Monday Sunny, with a high near 93. Light and variable wind becoming south southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Monday Night Clear, with a low around 55. South southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 92. Light and variable wind. Tuesday Night Clear, with a low around 55. South southwest wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable in the evening. Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 93. Wednesday Night Clear, with a low around 59. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 90. Thursday Night Clear, with a low around 57. Friday Sunny, with a high near 89. Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 60. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 90. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 56. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 88.

warm and sunny weekend

This weekend is the 19th annual Chico World Music Festival at Chico State. This year the festival opens with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, who will be performing at Laxson Auditorium tomorrow night. Then on Saturday and Sunday, the festival moves outdoors on several different stages featuring local and international music artists performing. The best part of all- Saturday and Sunday's outdoor festival is free! There will also be children's activities, workshops, and food! The weather should cooperate, although it will be warm- lower 90s for highs. That's okay; the humidity will be low and there are plenty of shaded spots on campus as there are lots of trees! Also, if you are feeling the urge to do some volunteer work and give back to the community, the Butte Environmental Council will be holding their annual clean up of Bidwell Park and Big Chico Creek on Saturday. Do your part by helping to pick up litter and other debris. For more info on these and other happenings this weekend, check out the Chico News and Review link on my home page. Have a great weekend! Here is the rest of Chico's forecast from the National Weather Service: Tonight Clear, with a low around 63. Calm wind becoming east around 6 mph in the evening. Friday Sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 62. Southeast wind around 7 mph. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming south southeast 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 57. South southeast wind around 7 mph becoming north northeast in the evening. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 91. Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 58. Monday Sunny, with a high near 92. Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 56. Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 91. Tuesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 55. Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 91. Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 56. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 92.

hot the next few days

It's going to be hot the next three days in Chico, as high temperatures push into the middle 90s for highs today through Friday. Expect more seasonable temperatures by the weekend and early next week. Highs for mid- September should be around 90 degrees, and we may see highs around or slightly above that Sunday through next Tuesday. Lows will also be a few degrees above average- upper 50s to low 60s. No rain is in the forecast. Here is Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Today Sunny, with a high near 95. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. Tonight Clear, with a low around 59. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 94. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Thursday Night Clear, with a low around 63. East southeast wind around 7 mph. Friday Sunny, with a high near 94. Light south southeast wind. Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 63. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 93. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 60. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 90. Sunday Night Clear, with a low around 59. Monday Sunny, with a high near 92. Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 58. Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 92.

sunny and seasonal

It was a warm and beautiful weekend in Chico, with sunny skies and temperatures in the low to mid 90s. That's fairly typical for early September. More of the same is on the way for this week. Sunny skies, warm to hot temperatures, and (hopefully) little to no smoke from the fires. I'll take it! On a more somber note, tragedy has struck the community of Chico as the body of Chico State student Brett Olson was found in the Sacramento River yesterday. Brett was tubing down the Sacramento River with a group of friends over Labor Day weekend and apparently drowned. Brett had been considered missing until authorities found his body. My thoughts go out to the family of Brett during this time of mourning. Here is Chico's forecast from the National Weather Service: Today Sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Tonight Clear, with a low around 59. South wind 5 to 7 mph becoming northeast in the evening. Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 91. North northeast wind around 6 mph becoming west in the morning. Tuesday Night Clear, with a low around 59. South southeast wind around 6 mph becoming east northeast in the evening. Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 93. Light and variable wind becoming west around 6 mph in the afternoon. Wednesday Night Clear, with a low around 61. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 94. Thursday Night Clear, with a low around 61. Friday Sunny, with a high near 94. Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 59. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 93. Saturday Night Clear, with a low around 58. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 92.

typical September weather

It's been typical September weather (well, minus the mugginess and thunderstorms) the past few days, and that pattern will continue through next week. High temperatures will be in the upper 80s/ lower 90s, while overnight lows will be in the mid to upper 50s. Sunshine will rule, as is typically the case this time of year. The rainy season usually does not begin until around late October. That's also the time the trees in Chico begin changing into their autumn finery (in the Sierra Nevada Mountains east of Chico, it's early October). I love fall; I can't wait for the cooler days and the misty weather. This weekend is action- packed in Chico, as the kick- off to Artoberfest, Chico Palio, takes place in Bidwell Park all day tomorrow. Taste of Chico happens Sunday in downtown Chico. All of the local restaurants (and we have an amazing number of them) will be there to allow you to taste some of their finest dishes. The weather for both days will be warm, but nothing we Chicoans can't handle- upper 80s to low 90s under beautiful sunshine. Come out and enjoy what Chico has to offer this weekend! Here is Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Today Sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming southwest around 6 mph in the morning. Tonight Clear, with a low around 60. South southwest wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 93. Light and variable wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 58. Southeast wind around 8 mph. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 89. South wind 3 to 6 mph. Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 56. Monday Sunny, with a high near 90. Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 58. Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 91. Tuesday Night Clear, with a low around 57. Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 91. Wednesday Night Clear, with a low around 57. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 92.

Red Flag Warning due to thunderstorms

It was strange weather in Chico today as clouds began to build in the early afternoon. Some isolated showers and thunderstorms began popping up this afternoon and it got increasingly humid. This kept the temperature down a bit, with a high of 93 degrees in Chico today. We haven't seen any rain since May until today, although it was not enough to register in the rain bucket at Chico Airport. A Red Flag Warning is in effect until 11 am tomorrow (Thursday) as high- based thunderstorms with lots of lightning but little rainfall stream northward from the south overnight tonight, riding on a plume of monsoonal moisture. All this is due to a small low pressure system hugging the California coast. Hopefully these storms will not materialize as we have been suffering most of the summer from nearby wildfires. We don't need any more. The rest of the seven day outlook appears dry and hot, with high temps in the lower to mid 90s. Here is Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Tonight Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. East southeast wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Thursday Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 63. South wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable in the evening. Friday Sunny, with a high near 94. Light and variable wind. Friday Night Clear, with a low around 61. South southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 95. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 60. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 91. Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 60. Monday Sunny, with a high near 89. Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 60. Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 91. Tuesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 60. Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 93.

back to the grind

It's back to the grind this week as people head back to work and school after a nice three day weekend. The weather this past weekend in Chico was also nice, with mid 80s Saturday, upper 80s yesterday, and lower 90s today. The smoke from the North Pass and Chips fires has deluged the northern Sacramento Valley today, reducing visibility across the area. Hopefully the smoky air will not dominate the weather the next several days. High temps the next seven days will be mainly seasonal (lower 90s), although we may see mid 90s a couple of days this coming week. For all intents and purposes, though, summer is over. Now I can look forward to the cooler autumn weather ahead! However, that usually doesn't come in Chico until about mid to late October. Until then, it's summer seasonal lag. Here is Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Tonight Clear, with a low around 57. South wind around 6 mph becoming east northeast after midnight. Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 95. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable in the morning. Tuesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 58. Calm wind becoming east northeast around 5 mph after midnight. Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind. Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 56. East wind 3 to 5 mph. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 91. Thursday Night Clear, with a low around 55. Friday Sunny, with a high near 92. Friday Night Clear, with a low around 56. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 95. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 56. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 91. Sunday Night Clear, with a low around 56. Monday Sunny, with a high near 91.