get ready for the 70s!

And no, I don't mean the decade. High temperatures by the end of this week will reach the middle 70s! That's a good 12 degrees above normal. High pressure will strengthen over Norcal this week, bringing sunny skies and very warm temperatures. Other than a slight chance of showers Saturday night, don't expect a lot of rain the next several days. The long term outlook favors below normal precipitation and above average temperatures over the next three months. Whatever happened to that strong El Nino the weather forecasters were predicting for this winter? In El Nino years, California usually gets inundated with strong storms bringing heavy rain and snow. Not this year. Oh, we had a couple of strong storms last December that caused some localized flooding and minor wind damage. Other than that, it has been very dry this winter. Expect that trend to continue into spring. I fear we may have a very dangerous fire season this summer. Here is Chico's warm seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Today Sunny, with a high near 66. North northwest wind 6 to 9 mph. Tonight Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. North northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 66. Light and variable wind. Wednesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. North wind 3 to 5 mph. Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. Light and variable wind. Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 40. Friday Sunny, with a high near 73. Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 42. Saturday Partly sunny, with a high near 69. Saturday Night A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. Sunday Mostly sunny, with a high near 67. Sunday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 40. Monday Sunny, with a high near 69.