chilly weekend

Wow! The high temperature in Chico yesterday was 82 degrees, tying a record set 107 years ago, back in 1906. What's also interesting (well, to a weather geek like me), the temperature diurnal, or the difference between the morning low and the afternoon high temperature, was a whopping 41 degrees! The morning low in Chico yesterday was 41 degrees; eight hours later, it was 82. This was courtesy of dry air (the temperature diurnal is often greater when the air is dry) and northwest, down sloping winds that cause the air to warm rapidly. By Saturday, highs will be over 20 degrees colder than yesterday's high. A cold front sweeping down from the Gulf of Alaska will drag colder air from up north beginning tomorrow and lasting through early next week. Unfortunately, this cold front is too weak and the air too dry to give us any precipitation, so the drought continues. Overnight lows in the valley early Sunday and Monday mornings may dip into the mid 30s, prompting the first frost advisories of the season so far. We'll see if that happens. By the middle of next week, high temps will be back above normal. I just wish we'd get some rain! Here's Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Today Sunny, with a high near 71. Calm wind becoming west northwest around 6 mph in the morning. Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 42. North wind 9 to 11 mph. Friday Sunny, with a high near 64. North northwest wind around 10 mph. Friday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. North northeast wind 5 to 9 mph. Saturday Partly sunny, with a high near 59. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Saturday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 62. Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 37. Monday Sunny, with a high near 67. Monday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 40. Tuesday Partly sunny, with a high near 66. Tuesday Night A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. Wednesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 69.