feeling like summer

Ugh. It's already 95 degrees at the Chico Airport, and it's only May 3rd. The northern and central Sacramento Valley is under both a Red Flag Warning (beginning at midnight tonight and expiring at 4 pm tomorrow) and a Wind Advisory (from 8 am until 4 pm tomorrow). It is bone dry out there, and the fire danger is exceptionally high. The Panther Fire near Butte Meadows northeast of Chico has quickly grown to over 10,000 acres, and a layer of smoke has hung over Chico for most of the day today. Northwesterly winds kicked up this afternoon, pushing some of the smoke out of the valley, but also heating up the temperature into the mid 90s. Winds will again be strong and gusty from the northwest tomorrow, with speeds up to 35 mph in gusts. All outdoor burning is banned. There is a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm tomorrow night, and a better chance of showers and thunderstorms Monday through Wednesday. Hopefully these storms will have some moisture to work with; otherwise, lightning strikes may ignite more fires. I'm sensing this fire season may be a repeat of the summer of 2008, when hundreds of fires were ignited by dry lightning strikes. Fingers crossed we don't repeat that awful summer. The good news is we start ratcheting down the hot temperatures the next seven days. Tomorrow we'll see highs in the upper 80s, and lower 70s by Monday! These cooler temperatures should aid the firefighters in their efforts to contain the Panther fire and other fires burning in California. Temps will warm back into the lower to middle 80s by the end of next week, but no 90 degree temps are anticipated for now (after today). The first weekend in May is usually a busy one in Chico, with numerous events going on. Here's a rundown of the big ones: Pioneer Days Parade in downtown Chico on Saturday morning; the International Festival on the grounds of Chico State University Saturday; Chico Artisans Faire at the Downtown Chico Plaza both Saturday and Sunday; the Endangered Species Faire at Cedar Grove in Lower Bidwell Park on Saturday; the annual Spring Garden Tour, beginning at St. John's Episcopal Church in Chico, in which there are tours of five different private gardens in Chico and Durham; the first annual Salsa Festival (in honor of Cinco de Mayo) at Gordo Burrito on Sunday, sponsored by Chico's own lifestyle magazine, Upgraded Living; and the annual Margarita Mix-off, a fundraiser for Chico's Active 20/30- a service organization for young men in the community- held this year at Silver Dollar Fairgrounds on Saturday. For times of these and and other events happening this weekend (as this list is by no means exhaustive), go to the Chico News and Review website. Have a safe and fun Cinco de Mayo weekend! Here's Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Tonight Clear, with a low around 57. North northwest wind 5 to 9 mph becoming light west northwest. Saturday Increasing clouds, with a high near 87. North northwest wind 8 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Saturday Night Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Northwest wind 5 to 14 mph becoming east after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Sunday Partly sunny, with a high near 79. South wind 7 to 10 mph. Sunday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. South wind around 8 mph becoming east northeast in the evening. Monday A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 71. Monday Night A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Tuesday A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 72. Tuesday Night A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 52. Wednesday A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. Wednesday Night A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 52. Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Thursday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 53. Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. ***UPDATE ON THE FIRES*** The Panther Fire, burning in Tehama County, has shrunk in size from 10,000 acres to 6400 acres, not because of firefighters' efforts, but because of better mapping techniques. Still, with the windy conditions tomorrow, the fire is expected to grow. Also, the smaller Cedar Fire, south of Butte Meadows in Butte County, is currently at 55 acres. More updates as they happen.