baby, it's (going to get) cold outside!

After a high temperature of 70 degrees yesterday, and 67 degrees today, Chicoans are probably not ready for the cold weather that's about to grip us later this week. There will be one more day of mild weather tomorrow before colder air filters into our area from Canada. In fact, it's going to be so cold the National Weather Service has already issued a Hard Freeze Watch, in effect late Wednesday through Saturday morning. This means sub-freezing temperatures are possible for several hours during that time period, mainly during the overnight and early morning hours. Bring in potted plants and pets, and wrap your water pipes so they do not burst. Daytime highs will be in the mid 50s on Tuesday, around 50 on Wednesday, and mid 40s Thursday and Friday. Highs will begin to warm into the lower 50s by next weekend. For reference, the normal high for Chico in early December is around 58 degrees. Oh, well. Perhaps this cold weather will put people into the Christmas spirit, right? Here's Chico's chilly forecast from the National Weather Service: Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 42. Calm wind. Monday Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. Monday Night A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. Southeast wind 5 to 8 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Tuesday A 20 percent chance of showers before 10am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 54. Northwest wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. Tuesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 28. North wind 5 to 11 mph. Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 50. Wednesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 23. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 46. Thursday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 23. Friday Sunny, with a high near 47. Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 26. Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 50. Saturday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 27. Sunday Mostly sunny, with a high near 51.