wet for first half of the week; dry and sunny thereafter

Rain begins tonight for the valley, while snow is in store for the Sierra Nevada above 5000 feet. A Winter Storm Warning begins tonight a 11 and continues until 5 am Tuesday morning. Six to twelve inches of snow are expected above 5000 feet, while up to two feet of snow may accumulate above 7500 feet. A quarter to a half an inch of rain is predicted to fall in the valley over the next 24 hours, with more accumulations possible beyond that. Showers will persist through Wednesday before drying out on Thursday. Dry weather will continue Friday through next Sunday, with moderating temperatures. High temperatures Monday through Wednesday will not get beyond the mid 50s in Chico. Brrr! We're going from fall (this weekend was gorgeous, with sunny skies and 80 degrees yesterday, and partly sunny and 67 degrees today) to winter in 24 hours! By the end of the week, highs should climb into the 60s and 70s. Here is Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Tonight Rain after 11pm. Low around 51. East wind 6 to 11 mph becoming southeast 12 to 17 mph in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Monday Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am. High near 57. Southeast wind 17 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Monday Night Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm, then showers after 11pm. Low around 47. Southeast wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Tuesday Showers likely, mainly after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57. Southeast wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Tuesday Night Showers likely. Cloudy, with a low around 44. Southeast wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Wednesday Showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 56. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Wednesday Night A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. Thursday Partly sunny, with a high near 65. Thursday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 44. Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. Friday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 45. Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. Saturday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 46. Sunday Mostly sunny, with a high near 74.