from summer to winter

Okay, I admit the title of this blog entry is not exactly correct. However, in just about two weeks time, we've gone from temps in the 90s to rain and highs only in the 60s (the temps don't reflect winter-like weather, but the rain does). By this weekend, we're looking at a decent storm impacting Northern California. Some of the higher mountain passes and peaks may even see several inches of snow (now that IS winter-like). Could this be the future of weather caused by climate change- stark, rapid changes in weather patterns with no transitional period? Seriously, we go from blazing sunshine and 90 degree temps, to rain and snow, in less than two weeks time. Talk about weather whiplash! I'm still waiting for the fall colors to arrive, and Mother Nature is shoving me into winter! I know, I exaggerate, but only to prove a point! Here's the suddenly stormy forecast from the National Weather Service:

Tonight: Clear, with a low around 53. North wind between 3 and 6 mph.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 80. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 51. East wind between 5 and 8 mph becoming calm.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph.

Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48. South southeast wind between 6 and 9 mph becoming calm.

Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64.

Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48.

Saturday: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66.

Saturday Night: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55.

Sunday: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63.

Sunday Night: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54.

Monday: A chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 65.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45.

Tuesday: Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 68.

Climate Normals for October 19th:

Average High Temperature: 76 degrees
Average Low Temperature: 46 degrees
Sunset This Evening: 6:21 pm
Sunrise Tomorrow: 7:22 am
Actual High Temperature Today: 84 degrees
Actual Low Temperature Today: 50 degrees

changes in store for this weekend

Today was absolutely gorgeous in Chico, with sunshine galore and a high temperature of 75 degrees. The sun should stick around for the rest of the work week, and northerly, downsloping winds will set up tomorrow, providing us with very warm conditions. These conditions will only last for one day, however, as we start a downward temperature trend on Wednesday. By this weekend, we'll see highs only in the 60s! Time to break out the sweatshirts! Also, break out the umbrellas because there is a decent shot at some rain all weekend long. The rain chances may linger into early next week. This forecast could change, so check back for the latest updates. For now, here's what the National Weather Service is saying for Chico:

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 50. Northeast wind around 7 mph.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 86. North northwest wind between 3 and 7 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 46. Light and variable wind.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 81. Calm wind becoming south southwest around 5 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 45. South southeast wind around 7 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 70.

Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48.

Friday: A chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 71.

Friday Night: A slight chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53.

Saturday: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 69.

Saturday Night: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53.

Sunday: A chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 64.

Sunday Night: A chance of rain. Cloudy, with a low around 55.

Monday: A chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 66.

Climate Normals for October 18th:

Average High: 78 degrees
Average Low: 47 degrees
Sunset this evening: 6:23 pm
Sunrise tomorrow: 7:22 am

what a difference a day makes

Wow! The National Weather Service forecasters were so wrong on today's forecast! They were predicting partly sunny skies, with just a slight chance of a shower and highs in the mid 70s. In actuality, we've had steady light rain for the past several hours, amounting to nearly a quarter of an inch, and a high temperature of just 59 degrees! This is weather we here in Chico see more typically in late November! It was a really nice break, though, after highs in the 90s this past week. This cool, showery weather will quickly be a distant memory, as high pressure will rapidly build back in by tomorrow. High temps the next few days will be in the low to mid 80s. However, a cooldown to below average temperatures will occur later in the week, and a potentially strong storm may (emphasis on "may") impact our weather by next weekend. Stay tuned. In the meantime, here's the latest Chico forecast from the NWS:

Tonight: Isolated showers before 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50. Light north northwest wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. North northwest wind between 3 and 5 mph.

Monday Night: Patchy fog after 11pm. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 50. Northeast wind between 3 and 8 mph.

Tuesday: Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 85. North northeast wind around 7 mph becoming west.

Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 50.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 82.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 52.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 51.

Friday: A slight chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 67.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 49.

Saturday: A slight chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 64.

Saturday Night: A slight chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52.

Sunday: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66.


Climate Normals for October 17th:

Average high temperature: 79 degrees
Average low temperature: 47 degrees
Sunset this evening: 6:25 pm
Sunrise tomorrow: 7:21 am

not a bad forecast

Beginning today, Chico should see more October-like weather. Yesterday marked five days in a row of temps at or above 90 degrees, with a high yesterday of 90. Today, expect temperatures nearly ten degrees cooler than yesterday. There's even some shower activity in the seven day forecast- albeit very slight chances. Still, enjoy the more seasonable weather this upcoming week. This weekend is the last weekend for the Chico Experience Week; for more info and details, click the Chico Experience Week link to the right. Here is the seven day forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Light and variable wind.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 55. Calm wind becoming southeast between 4 and 7 mph.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 76. East northeast wind 6 to 11 mph becoming south.

Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers before 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Southeast wind at 5 mph becoming north northwest.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. Light northwest wind.

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

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 82.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 82.

Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 53.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 79.

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

Friday: A slight chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 74.

Climate Normals for Chico for October 16th:

Average High Temperature: 79 degrees
Average Low Temperature: 47 degrees
Sunrise: 7:19 am
Sunset: 6:26 pm

not as cool as previously thought

That's the bad news. The good news is that it WILL cool down by this weekend. The cooler weather will last into next week. I tell ya, it seems like we get hotter the later we get into the fall season (well, in actuality, we are). The high temp today in Chico was 93 degrees- not a record high for the date, but still hot. We should see highs closer to average beginning Saturday and continuing into the middle of next week- upper 70s and lower 80s. Much more fall-like! Here's the latest forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 56. South southeast wind at 8 mph becoming east northeast.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming south between 4 and 7 mph.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Southeast wind between 6 and 8 mph.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Light and variable wind.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 54. Light southeast wind.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 78.

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

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 52.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 80.

Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 53.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 80.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 80.

Climate Averages for October 14th:
Average high: 80 degrees
Average low: 48 degrees
Sunset tonight: 6:29 pm
Sunrise tomorrow: 7:18 am

Is it October or August?

I ask that question because we've had two days in a row here in Chico of temperatures at or above 90 degrees. Yesterday's high was 90 degrees and today's high was 91 degrees. Amazingly, neither one of these temps were records for the date. Interestingly, the latest Chico has reached 100 degrees is October 15th. So yeah, it still can get pretty hot during October. It looks like we'll have to endure above normal temps through the end of this week. By Sunday, though, the bottom falls out, and we should expect highs barely above 70 degrees. Nice! Here's the latest forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Tonight: Clear, with a low around 44. North northeast wind between 6 and 10 mph.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 89. Northwest wind between 3 and 6 mph.

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

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 89. North wind at 6 mph becoming south.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 56. South southeast wind between 4 and 7 mph becoming calm.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.

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

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 48.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 70.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 45.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 51.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 81.

Climate normals for October 13th:

Average High: 80 degrees
Average low: 48 degrees
Sunrise: 7:16 am
Sunset: 6:31 pm

almost downright hot

The forecast has been fairly accurate the last couple of days, with sunny skies and temps in the mid 80s (Saturday's high was 87, while today's high was 85). It looks like the thermometer will be turned up a few degrees this upcoming week, and we may reach or exceed 90 degrees a couple of days this week. However, by Sunday we should see temps over 20 degrees cooler than what we will see mid-week this week. No rain is in the forecast- just dry, sunny weather. Hopefully this is summer's last gasp before we finally see some reliable fall weather. Here's the forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 56. North northwest wind between 6 and 9 mph.

Columbus Day: Sunny, with a high near 84. North northwest wind 9 to 12 mph increasing to between 17 and 20 mph. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 57. North northwest wind between 8 and 17 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 89. North northwest wind between 6 and 8 mph.

Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 56. North northeast wind between 6 and 8 mph.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 88.

Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 56.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 88.

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

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85.

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

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 50.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 69.

Climate Normals for October 11th:

Average High: 81 degrees
Average Low: 49 degrees
Sunrise:7:14 am
Sunset: 6:34 pm