dry streak goes on and on

The high today in Chico was 61 degrees, a full ten degrees cooler than yesterday. There was more haze today than yesterday, as well as an absence of the downsloping north wind that was prevalent yesterday. Hazy skies will continue off and on throughout this upcoming week as a lack of rain and stagnant air affect the air quality in the Sacramento Valley. High temps will remain 8 to 13 degrees above normal, while overnight lows will be at or slightly below normal. Again, there is no rain in the forecast. Here's Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Tonight Widespread haze. Patchy fog after 4am. Patchy frost after 4am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 31. Calm wind. Monday Patchy fog before 10am. Patchy frost before 10am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 61. Calm wind. Monday Night Patchy fog after 4am. Patchy frost after 4am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 31. Calm wind. Tuesday Patchy fog before 10am. Patchy frost before 10am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 63. Calm wind. Tuesday Night Patchy frost after 4am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 33. Light and variable wind. New Year's Day Patchy frost before 10am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 65. Wednesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 33. Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 64. Thursday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 35. Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 64. Friday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. Saturday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 32. Sunday Mostly sunny, with a high near 60.

when will it rain?

That's a good question. It has been dry and warm for days now, with yesterday reaching 69 degrees in Chico. Amazingly, that temperature was not a record high for Chico, but Sacramento and Stockton both broke their record highs for December 26th when those cities reached the mid 60s. Today will be somewhat cooler than it has been, with highs only making it to around 60 degrees. The warmth returns for the weekend, with highs back into the mid and upper 60s. Unfortunately, no rain is in the forecast, and there is no idea of when it will rain again. It is very concerning as December turns into January, normally the wettest time of the year for Chico. I'm still hoping the weather pattern will change, but it's not going to happen for awhile. High pressure is anchored over the West Coast with no signs of budging. With high pressure, air sinks, preventing clouds from forming. Clouds need low pressure to form and produce precipitation. So, look for sunny days, clear nights, mild afternoons and chilly mornings for the foreseeable future. Here's Chico's seven day forecast, including New Year's Eve, from the National Weather Service: Today Patchy frost before 10am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 61. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the morning. Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 30. Light north northeast wind. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 66. North northwest wind 3 to 8 mph. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 33. North northeast wind 7 to 9 mph. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 65. North wind 5 to 7 mph. Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 33. Monday Sunny, with a high near 63. Monday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 33. Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 64. Tuesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 33. New Year's Day Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. Wednesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 34. Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 62.

continued dry and mild

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! The high temperature on Christmas Eve in Chico was a very warm 72 degrees, which tied the record set back in 1967, while today (Christmas Day) it reached 67 degrees. Yesterday's high temperature did not set a record, but these temps are way above average, which is 54 degrees for this time of year. The overnight lows are near normal, with last night's low temp a chilly 35 degrees (normal low is 34 degrees). We haven't seen a drop of precipitation since December 7th, and it looks like we won't see any precip until next year sometime. 2013 will go down as the driest year ever recorded in California. We really need a succession of storms over the next month, but we're just not going to see it. I keep hoping the weather pattern will change, but we'll have to wait and see. For now, expect warm and dry weather. Here's Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Tonight Patchy frost after 5am. Otherwise, clear, with a low around 33. Calm wind becoming north northeast around 6 mph in the evening. Thursday Patchy frost before 11am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 63. Northeast wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the afternoon. Thursday Night Patchy frost after 5am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 33. Northeast wind 5 to 8 mph. Friday Patchy frost before 11am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 61. North northeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the morning. Friday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. Light and variable wind. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 66. Saturday Night Clear, with a low around 34. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 63. Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 32. Monday Sunny, with a high near 62. Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 32. Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 61. Tuesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 33. New Year's Day Sunny, with a high near 62.

chilly nights, mild days

The high temperature at the Chico State University Farm today was 71 degrees- 2 degrees shy of the record high of 73 degrees for this date. It has been a very warm week, with today being the warmest of the past seven days. This trend will continue, as high pressure is large and in charge over California. Look for clear, sunny skies and chilly, starry nights through next weekend. High temps will generally be in the 60s, while overnight lows will be in the mid 30s. When will we see rain again? Who knows. Here is the seven day weather forecast for Chico (including a very mild Christmas Day) from the National Weather Service: Tonight Patchy frost after 5am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 33. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Monday Patchy frost before 11am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 62. Light and variable wind. Monday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 34. Light north wind. Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the morning. Tuesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 33. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming northeast in the evening. Christmas Day Sunny, with a high near 62. Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 32. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 63. Thursday Night Clear, with a low around 34. Friday Sunny, with a high near 62. Friday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. Saturday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 34. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 60.

calm, dry weather

After a blustery, chilly Thursday, in which winds gusted to 30 mph, yesterday was much calmer. The high temperature yesterday reached a balmy 61 degrees in Chico, six degrees above the average. Sunshine, calm winds, and mild temperatures will rule the next seven days as persistent high pressure remains too stubborn to move. At least we're not experiencing the weather many parts of the Midwest, Southeast, and East are experiencing: Tornadoes, ice, snow, and flooding rains are all happening in those parts. I'll take calm and sunny, thanks. Well, maybe the rain, but not the flooding rain. Here's Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Today Sunny, with a high near 61. Northeast wind 5 to 9 mph becoming northwest in the morning. Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 35. North wind around 7 mph. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 63. North northwest wind around 7 mph. Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 34. Calm wind becoming northeast 5 to 7 mph in the evening. Monday Mostly sunny, with a high near 62. North northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the morning. Monday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 35. Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. Tuesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 33. Christmas Day Sunny, with a high near 61. Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 31. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 63. Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 33. Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 61.

becoming windy

There is a Wind Advisory that has been issued for the Sacramento Valley in effect beginning at 4 am tomorrow morning and lasting until 10 pm tomorrow night. Northerly winds between 20 and 30 mph, with gusts to 50 mph, may occur. The strongest winds, as is usual during a northerly wind set-up, will take place on the west side of the Sacramento Valley. Chico itself may only see sustained winds between 15-20 mph. Regardless, expect breezy conditions throughout tomorrow. Also expect cooler temperatures, with highs today only around 60 degrees under mostly sunny skies, and mid 50s tomorrow. With the wind, it will feel downright nippy (well, for us Northern Californians, anyway). Temperatures will rebound back into the low to mid 60s Friday through next Tuesday under mainly sunny skies. We may not see any precipitation for the rest of the year. Not good. Fire danger is unusually high for this time of year. The Big Sur fire south of San Francisco is still burning nearly out of control. It's very unusual to see big fires spark in December, but that is just indicative of how dry we are right now. We still have time in the rainy season to catch up, however, so I remain somewhat positive. Here is Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Today Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. Light and variable wind. Tonight Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. Light north wind becoming north northwest 8 to 13 mph after midnight. Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 55. North wind 13 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 33. North wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. North wind 7 to 9 mph. Friday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 38. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 63. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 38. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 61. Sunday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. Monday Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. Monday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 60.

It's beginning to look alot like... not Christmas

Highs in the 60s and plenty of sunshine both yesterday and today does not feel or look like Christmas. However, when the sun sets and temperatures drop from the 60s to the 40s, and all of the holiday lights are sparkling, well, that's a different story. However, the not-so-Christmasy weather will continue for the foreseeable future, as high pressure will not relent. A quick-moving and weak cold front will pivot through our area Wednesday night, cooling temps off slightly into the upper 50s on Thursday. Otherwise, expect sunshine and highs in the 60s the next several days. Overnight lows will generally be in the 30s. We need rain! Here is the dry and mild seven day forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service: Tonight Patchy frost after 4am. Otherwise, clear, with a low around 31. Calm wind becoming north northeast around 5 mph. Monday Patchy frost before 10am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 63. Light and variable wind. Monday Night Patchy frost after 4am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 35. Calm wind becoming north northeast around 5 mph in the evening. Tuesday Patchy frost before 10am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 62. Calm wind. Tuesday Night Patchy frost after 4am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 35. Light and variable wind. Wednesday Patchy frost before 10am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 60. Wednesday Night A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. Thursday A slight chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 58. Thursday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 32. Friday Sunny, with a high near 61. Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 37. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 66. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 37. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 62.