the rain returns

The past few days in Chico have been overcast and, at times, foggy. I swear the visibility last night was only a few hundred feet! Because of all the murkiness, the temperatures have been stuck in the 40s. It's just been gray and chilly. Some changes are on the way, and we'll see a storm system move through early next week that will hopefully give us some good rains. Once the storm moves through, we should see some sunny weather (along with morning fog). Temps will warm into the 50s by next week, which is where Chico should be for this time of year. Also, on a more personal note, the musical I'm in, Paint Your Wagon, opens tonight. I'm so nervous! I have the very first line in the show! I hope I don't forget it. It's been a lot of hard work among all involved in this musical, but the end is almost near. It's been challenging for me to learn all of the choreography, but I feel I've grown in my talents. Hopefully we'll have some good audiences. Here's the latest forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Today: A 20 percent chance of rain after 10am. Areas of dense fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 50. North northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Tonight: Patchy fog after 10pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. Light north northeast wind.

Sunday: Areas of fog before 10am. Otherwise, cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 50. North northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Sunday Night: Patchy fog after 10pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. Light and variable wind.

Monday: Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 53. East northeast wind 5 to 9 mph becoming south southeast.

Monday Night: A 50 percent chance of rain. Cloudy, with a low around 48.

Tuesday: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 52. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Tuesday Night: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 46.

Wednesday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52.

Wednesday Night: Areas of fog after 10pm. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 42.

Thursday: Areas of fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 54.

Thursday Night: Areas of fog after 10pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 42.

Friday: Areas of fog before 10am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 55.

stuck in a rut

The weather seems to be stuck in the same pattern right now- foggy in the valley and foothills, with cloudy but dry skies in the mountains. There will be a slight chance of rain showers in the valley and snow showers in the mountains (mainly above 6000') over the next several days. Not much change to the weather, I'm afraid. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has said as recently as a few weeks ago that a moderate El Nino will begin affecting the west coast of the U.S. from late January, through February, and into March of 2010. I sure hope so. That would mean an increase in precipitation for much of California. We are in the grips of a nearly four year old drought that shows no signs of abating. Right now, El Nino is the only thing that can save us. Again, for now, just look for slight chances of showers over the next week. Otherwise, enjoy the clouds and fog. Here's the seven day forecast for Chico from the NWS:

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. Calm wind becoming east northeast around 6 mph.

Friday: A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. East northeast wind around 6 mph becoming calm.

Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. Southeast wind between 5 and 7 mph.

Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. Calm wind.

Saturday Night: Patchy fog after 10pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. Light northwest wind.

Sunday: Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 54.

Sunday Night: Patchy fog after 10pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 42.

Monday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52.

Monday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41.

Tuesday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52.

Tuesday Night: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 40.

Wednesday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52.

Wednesday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39.

Thursday: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52.

pea soup

It has been pretty foggy in the Sacramento River Valley the past few days, but today has been the worst. Even some of the foothills communities have been seeing the fog today. Visibilities have been a quarter of a mile or less in most spots, and who knows when the fog will lift. I hate the fog, especially when I have to drive in it (like tonight to go to rehearsal). Other than the fog, the weather has been very quiet the past few days. There has been a light wind, and temps have held steady in the 40s to around 50 degrees. There is a slight chance of showers on Friday, as well as on Monday and Tuesday of next week. Otherwise, expect partly to mostly cloudy skies. Here is the detailed seven day forecast for Chico from the NWS:

Tonight: Cloudy, with a low around 47. Light and variable wind.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 51. Calm wind.

Thursday Night: A 10 percent chance of rain after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. Calm wind becoming east northeast around 6 mph.

Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55. East northeast wind around 6 mph becoming calm.

Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. Calm wind.

Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 58.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45.

Monday: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54.

Monday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44.

Tuesday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 51.

Tuesday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43.

Wednesday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55.

Be careful when driving out in the fog!

a chance of rain returns

I figured Chico would not go two weeks without seeing some rain. There is a small chance of rain or showers over the next seven days, but it IS a chance. No big storms on the horizon (much to my disappointment), and there will be some dry days as well. The complete seven day forecast for Chico is below. Speaking of storms, today is the two year anniversary of the last really big storm to hit Chico and Northern California. I remember it well. The winds began to pick up late in the evening on January 4th, 2008, and by sunrise on the 5th, winds were gusting to over 60 mph. There wasn't a tremendous amount of rain with that storm, but a lot of strong winds. The power was out in many areas of Butte County for five days! It was exciting! I'm still eagerly anticipating the next storm that will rival that one. It may be twenty years before it arrives. Here is the aforementioned NWS forecast:

Tonight: A chance of sprinkles after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. Light and variable wind.

Wednesday: A chance for sprinkles, then a chance of rain after 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 51. Calm wind becoming west northwest around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain. Cloudy, with a low around 49. North northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53. Calm wind.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. West wind around 5 mph becoming north northeast.

Friday: A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56.

Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48.

Saturday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 58.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 57.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40.

Monday: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55.

Monday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43.

Tuesday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55.

the drought continues

First of all, I'd like to say that living in a city that does not have its own climatological records or reporting station is extremely frustrating. I could say Chico is below average for rainfall for December 2009, but I can't look up the numbers to back up that claim. How can anyone who reads this blog know that what I'm talking about is correct? True, I don't have a degree in meteorology, and this blog is mainly for my enjoyment. Still, I would like to keep as accurate and concise a blog as I can. Sigh. For now, just take my word for it that Chico finished the month of December 2009 below normal for precipitation. In fact, we are below normal for the entire rainy season so far. The rainy season officially began on July 1st, and since then Chico has received a little over 7.7 inches. We should be at around 12" up to today. Looking at the 14 day Accuweather forecast, as well as the seven day National Weather Service forecast, it looks like no rain is going to come our way. The forecast can always change, but right now it's discouraging to see a forecast like this during what is normally our wettest month of the year. So, the two week forecast in one sentence: Dry, with highs around 60 degrees and lows around 40 degrees. That's it for the first half of this month. Oh well, I should look on the bright side- at least I won't be suffering from S.A.D.(Seasonal Affective Disorder). It'll be too sunny and mild for that!

quiet, ho-hum weather

The weather over the next several days will be quiet, with no big storms moving through and temperatures right around or slightly above average. I call this kind of weather "Ho-hum Weather." There won't be any exciting things to discuss on my blog the next several days as far as the weather is concerned. That's good, because I am going to be quite busy the next seven days. Currently I'm in the Master's of Social Work program at Chico State University, and while school may be on winter break, I have to go to my internship three days a week beginning this next week. In addition to that, I am in a musical at the Chico Theater Company called "Paint Your Wagon" that opens a week from today. That means every night starting tomorrow night through next Saturday night I have to be at the theater for dress rehearsal and the actual opening. Also, I have a comprehensive exam to begin in order to satisfy graduation requirements, so I will start that this week, as well. Busy, busy, busy! So, if you don't hear much from me on this blog, those are the reasons why. I can basically sum up the forecast thusly: Partly to mostly sunny skies tomorrow through Thursday with morning fog possible tomorrow morning through Tuesday morning. There is a slight chance of rain on Friday. High temperatures will be in the upper 50s to around 60 degrees; morning lows will be in the upper 30s to around 40 degrees. Ho-hum weather!

Happy 2010!

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and fun time last night. I'm sure a lot of people are recovering right now. I had a quiet evening with my hubby and two pugs. We went to bed shortly after the new year began. As I get older I find that I don't want to go out and party as much to ring in the new year. I still want to stay up and see it in, however. It's getting more difficult to do; I struggled around 11:00 last night to stay awake! My hubby sprawled out on the couch and said, "Wake me when it's midnight." Ah, the excitement of getting older! Anyway, as far as the weather goes, the NWS forecasters got it wrong yet again! They were saying that this storm was going to be wetter than the previous one. Yet, at my house, only about a tenth of an inch fell. During the last storm, over two-thirds of an inch fell at my house. Oh, well. Obviously this storm weakened as it made its way through our area before sunrise this morning. There was one last line of showers that moved through between 10am and 11am. The rest of the afternoon today should remain cloudy, with temperatures hovering in the low to mid 50s. This looks like our last chance for rain for awhile as high pressure builds in, deflecting all the Pacific storms to our north. So much for El Nino. Here's the seven day Chico forecast from the NWS:

Tonight: A 30 percent chance of showers. Areas of fog after 4am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. Southeast wind between 6 and 9 mph.

Saturday: Areas of fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 55. North northwest wind between 3 and 7 mph.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 38. North northwest wind around 6 mph.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 56. Light north wind.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38.

Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 55.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 38.

Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 56.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40.

Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 56.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40.

Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 56.