warm and breezy

Today was the hottest day of the year so far in Chico, with a high temperature at the airport of 93 degrees! That's 17 degrees above the average of 76 degrees for April 28th. It's not expected to get hotter than today for the rest of the week, but still expect highs in the upper 80s/ lower 90s through next weekend. To add insult to injury, northerly winds (the dry and warm kind) will begin to blow tomorrow, aiding the very warm temperatures and drying out your skin and lips. The northerly winds will be especially strong on Tuesday in the valley, and Tuesday night into Wednesday morning in the Sierra foothills (that's you, Paradise and Magalia). I have a feeling that it's going to be an early and long fire season this year. We've had the driest first three months of the year ever in Northern California, and we're already seeing sustained temperatures in the 80s and 90s. Not good. I wouldn't be surprised if the National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for high fire danger on Tuesday. Here is the very warm, windy and dry forecast for Chico from the NWS: Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 58. North wind around 7 mph. Monday Sunny, with a high near 89. Northwest wind 8 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 52. North northwest wind 9 to 13 mph. Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 85. North wind 10 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Tuesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 50. North northeast wind 9 to 11 mph. Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 85. Wednesday Night Clear, with a low around 52. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 90. Thursday Night Clear, with a low around 54. Friday Sunny, with a high near 93. Friday Night Clear, with a low around 56. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 91. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 58. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 89.