fall heat wave

Last Thursday may have been the first day of astronomical fall (September 1st was the first day of meteorological fall), but Mother Nature apparently pays no attention to human timescales. Yesterday's high temperature was a scorching 95 degrees, and it should remain at or above 90 degrees for the next seven days. With the recent mild weather we've been experiencing, some of the Chinese Pistache trees have begun to show their fall colors, mainly gorgeous reds and oranges. With this heat, many have turned into a dull bronze color. Plus, it's rather difficult to get into the spirit of Halloween when you're at the local pumpkin patch looking for just the perfect pumpkin and sweating under 95 degree heat. You'd rather be swimming in a lake or pool! Oh, well. Such is the weather here in the Sacramento Valley. We have some of the most fertile, productive farmland on Earth, but also some of the hottest temperatures, as well. It's amazing to me that we have all of this fertile soil, huge oak trees, and abundant water, yet we also have desert-like heat! Here's the latest forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Today: Sunny, with a high near 94. Light and variable wind.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 60. North wind between 3 and 5 mph.

Monday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 99. North northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm.

Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 60. Light and variable wind.

Tuesday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 98. Light north northwest wind.

Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 57.

Wednesday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 97.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 93.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 93.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 90.

more heat on the way

The past several days weather wise in Chico have been fantastic, with clear skies and temps in the 70s and lower 80s (currently in Chico it's 82 degrees). Enjoy it while it lasts, because triple digit heat will return with a vengeance by early next week. High temperatures will warm each day for the next five days, from the lower 90s tomorrow to around 100 degrees for Monday and Tuesday of next week. Fortunately, the heat doesn't last, as it will cool down (that being a relative term) to the lower 90s by the end of next week. It'll still be above normal, however, as Chico should be right around 87 degrees this time of year. There are also many big events happening in the Chico area this weekend, including Chico Palio, the kick-off event to Artoberfest this Saturday at Downtown Plaza; the Chico Air Show begins tomorrow and runs through Sunday at Chico Municipal Airport, 5 miles north of the city; and the Salmon Festival in Oroville, which includes a Native American ceremony, a street fair, and a farmer's market, all taking place in downtown Oroville and Lake Oroville this Saturday. For other events, check out this week's Chico News and Review via the link to the right or free at many locations around Chico. If you're going to any of these events (many of which are outdoors), dress for the weather and bring plenty of water. Here's the latest forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Tonight: Clear, with a low around 58. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 91. North northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 61. Calm wind becoming north northeast around 5 mph.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 94. Light and variable wind.

Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 60. South wind at 7 mph becoming northeast.

Sunday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 97.

Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 62.

Monday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 101.

Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 63.

Tuesday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 101.

Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 62.

Wednesday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 98.

Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 62.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 93.

the 90s return

And I'm not referring to fashion trends from the 1990s, either! Okay, bad jokes aside, Chico did not receive much rain from this storm that rolled through over the weekend. One very isolated storm dropped .05" on Chico yesterday evening, after this same storm dropped over an inch on some parts of Glenn and Tehama Counties! That heavy rain prompted flood advisories for those counties from the National Weather Service late yesterday afternoon. All of that rain and storminess have moved on, and we can expect a dry, comfortable work week. However, as I was alluding to in my blog title for today, the 90s return this weekend and look to stick around through early next week. Sigh, and I was all ready for fall! Oh, well. Fall weather doesn't usually come around Chico until about mid-October, so I was getting ahead of myself. Plus, the average high temp for Chico this time of year is around 87-88 degrees, so we won't be too far above the average this weekend. Anyhoo, here is the latest forecast for Chico from the NWS:

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 49. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 81. Calm wind becoming south between 4 and 7 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. South southeast wind around 7 mph.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. South southeast wind between 3 and 6 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 48. South wind at 7 mph becoming east northeast.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 83.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 87.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 91.

Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 62.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 90.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 60.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 92.

after rain, dry and mild

Yesterday's high temperature in Chico managed to make it up to 85 degrees, despite the off-and-on clouds and southerly breeze. It'll be a tad cooler today, as morning low clouds give way to partial sunshine later this morning, but more clouds will arrive later this afternoon. Winds from the south will pick up, as well, with speeds of up to 15 to 20 mph by this evening. Rain will begin sometime tomorrow, although I don't think we'll get very much. If we get more than a tenth of an inch, I'll be surprised. The rain will move out as quickly as it arrived, and the sun will return by Monday. Temps stay below average through the upcoming work week- mainly in the low to mid 80s. Here's the detailed day-by-day forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Today: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81. South wind between 3 and 9 mph.

Tonight: A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. South southeast wind between 10 and 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.

Sunday: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 75. South southeast wind between 6 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain before 11pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 57. Light and variable wind.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Calm wind becoming southwest around 6 mph.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 56.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 81.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 55.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 55.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 83.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 57.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 84.

rain likely this weekend

It seems unusual to me to have rain likely this early in the season. Normally September is warm and dry for Chico, and, with the exception of September 8th, this month has been warm and dry. Rain looks increasingly likely, however, as a fairly potent trough makes its way into our area from the Pacific Ocean. Sunday looks like the wetter day so far, with mainly cloudy skies and a slight chance of rain for Saturday. Temps will really cool down, as well, with temperatures some 15 degrees cooler this weekend than what we've seen the past few days. And, it appears that temps won't rebound as quickly early next week, staying in the mild mid 80s. Could it be that Chico will see no more 90 degree days the rest of the calendar year? My gut says no, but we'll have to wait and see. As far as events in Chico this upcoming weekend, there are numerous art show openings at some of our many art galleries around town. Live theater is in abundance this weekend, as there are shows happening at Chico Theater Company (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers); lesbian pulp fiction with Rogue Theater (The Beebo Brinko Chronicles- for more info on this, see the article in this week's News and Review); and a production of Mornings at Seven by Theater on the Ridge up in Paradise. However, the BIG event this weekend is the annual Chico World Music Festival on the grounds of Chico State University. I attended last year's event, and saw the amazing Perla Battala perform. This year's festival will no doubt be spectacular, with Ozomatli opening the festival at Laxson Auditorium tomorrow night (Friday). The festival runs all day both Saturday and Sunday, and there will be various food and merchant vendors scattered about, as well, selling cuisine and trinkets from around the world. Hopefully Sunday won't be an all day washout! Here's the detailed seven day forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 57. South southeast wind around 7 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming south between 7 and 10 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. South southeast wind between 7 and 11 mph.

Saturday: A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. South southeast wind between 7 and 13 mph.

Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. South southeast wind between 8 and 13 mph.

Sunday: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 56.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 52.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 83.

Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 55.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 83.

rain for the weekend?

It looks as though there is a chance of rain for Saturday and a chance of showers for Sunday, along with much cooler temperatures. The rest of this work week looks warm and sunny, with seasonal temps and low humidity. Friday will be the day of transition, however, as clouds and humidity increase and the temperature drops from the 80s into the 70s. By early next week, though, we'll see dry conditions and warmer temps once again. However, it looks like, in the near term, the 90s are a thing of the past. Here are the details for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. South southeast wind around 6 mph becoming calm.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. South southeast wind between 3 and 6 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. Southeast wind around 7 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 78.

Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59.

Saturday: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76.

Saturday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59.

Sunday: A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 77.

Sunday Night: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 54.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83.

perhaps showers next weekend?

Today's high temperature in Chico was a hot 94 degrees. However, it should be nearly ten degrees cooler tomorrow as the high pressure system responsible for this warm weekend weakens a bit. By next weekend we could see some showers as a trough of low pressure digs into the Pacific Northwest. Temps will cool to around 80 degrees both Saturday and next Sunday. Before then, highs will reach into the upper 80s for the middle and end of this upcoming work week. Sunny skies will dominate for most of the week, as well. It won't be long until cooler fall temps begin to appear! Bring on the autumn foliage! Here's Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Tonight: Clear, with a low around 54. Light and variable wind.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 86. Calm wind becoming south southeast around 6 mph.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53. South southeast wind at 6 mph becoming east northeast.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. South wind around 6 mph becoming east.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 88.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 58.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 89.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59.

Saturday: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81.

Saturday Night: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59.

Sunday: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81.