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.