brief cooldown

Today has been delightful, if a bit breezy. After a mostly cloudy start to the day, the afternoon revealed mostly sunny skies over Chico, with temps in the upper 70s to around 80 degrees. The winds have been a bit brisk, however, with southerly winds 15-20 mph. The winds and a passing cool front are why the temps have been cooler than normal today. It'll still remain pleasantly mild tomorrow, but the winds will still be strong. They will shift from the south/southeast to the northwest tomorrow, gusting to 25 mph. A big warmup occurs late this week into the weekend, with highs soaring into the mid 90s by Sunday. Another cool front is expected to sweep through the area by early next week, knocking the temps down several degrees into the mid 80s Tuesday and Wednesday. There has been a pronounced lack of heat so far this month of June, with only two days at 90 degrees. Even with the heat this weekend, it won't be as hot as what we could see this time of year, and the heat will be short-lived. I'm still sticking with my prediction of a noticeably cooler summer than average this summer. Here's the detailed seven day forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 54. South wind 14 to 17 mph becoming north 6 to 9 mph. Winds could gust as high as 24 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Breezy, with a north northwest wind 7 to 10 mph increasing to between 19 and 22 mph. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 58. North northwest wind between 11 and 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 84. North northwest wind between 18 and 21 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.

Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 63. North northwest wind between 9 and 13 mph.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 92.

Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 63.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 94.

Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 64.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 95.

Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 65.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 86.

Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 61.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 84.

first 90 degree day of 2010

Yesterday, June 6th, was Chico's first 90 degree day of 2010. Normally we would have our first 90 degree day on average around mid May. We're a few weeks behind schedule, but Mother Nature doesn't go by human time. So far the mercury has climbed to 86 degrees today. Will we see our second consecutive 90 degree day today? Only time will tell. For now, temps will remain around the normal for the high the next 24 hours, then we'll see a brief cooldown as a front slips by us to our north. As usual this time of year, the cooldown will quickly yield to warmer temps by the end of the week, and we should be back in the low 90s by early next week. No rain is expected the next seven days. Here's the seven day forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 62. South southeast wind between 5 and 8 mph becoming calm.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. South southeast wind between 3 and 9 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. South southeast wind between 10 and 13 mph.

Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 81. South southeast wind between 13 and 16 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. South wind 7 to 11 mph becoming north northwest.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 78.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 55.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 58.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 87.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 89.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 62.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 90.

***UPDATE***
The temperature currently in Chico, as of 5pm PDT, is 90 degrees. That makes it two days in a row of 90 degrees- our first back-to-back 90 degree days this year. Just so you know...

warm and (slightly) muggy

Yesterday was rather uncomfortable in Chico weatherwise, as the high temperature climbed to 87 degrees. That's not so warm, you may say. Ah, but the humidity was rather high. Dewpoints were in the upper 50s and lower 60s yesterday, which made it feel rather sticky. Fortunately, there were some scattered clouds that shielded the sun. The sunshine and warmth will continue today, with highs again reaching the upper 80s. Hopefully the dewpoints won't be as high. It will be a pretty non-eventful week as far as the weather goes, with sunny skies and highs primarily in the 80s. I think summer may finally be here! Here's the Chico seven day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming south between 5 and 8 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 63. Southeast wind between 4 and 7 mph becoming calm.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming northwest around 6 mph.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61. Southeast wind between 6 and 9 mph.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 86. South southeast wind around 6 mph.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 54.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 84.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 57.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 88.

where's summer?

That's what a lot of people would like to know, I'm sure. I predict Chico will not have a blazingly hot summer, as is typical. Because of the Iceland volcano, expect temperatures to average about five to ten degrees cooler than what we typically see during the summer. Instead of highs in the mid 90s to around 105 degrees, we'll see temps in the upper 80s to mid 90s. Oh, we'll experience some heat waves with temps around 100 degrees, but only for a few days at a time. Some summers Chico has temps well above 100 degrees for over a week or more. I don't expect that this summer. For today, accept and embrace the gloomy weather as clouds and showers stick around (yesterday was also cloudy and somewhat wet- Chico received .01" of rain). Temperatures will be ten degrees cooler than average. It'll dry out and warm up over the weekend, though, with sunny skies and highs into the 80s. It'll warm up even more by early next week, but instead of the mid 90s as previously forecast, expect only upper 80s to around 90 degrees. That's more in line with where we should be this time of year. Here's the Chico forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74. South southeast wind between 8 and 17 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. South southeast wind between 6 and 13 mph.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 81. South southeast wind between 3 and 6 mph.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. South southeast wind at 5 mph becoming east northeast.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. South southeast wind between 5 and 8 mph.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 89.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 62.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 90.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 59.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84.

a more realistic forecast

Not a drop of rain fell in the Chico area yesterday or last night. The cold front that brought some moderately heavy rains to the far northern part of California fell apart before reaching us. There were a few light sprinkles in some parts of Butte County (where Chico is located), but nothing other than that. In fact, the National Weather Service has become less dramatic and more realistic about this latest storm expected to move through tonight and tomorrow. Now, instead of a 70% chance of rain, a 50% chance of showers is predicted. I still think these computer models are wrong more often than they are right. One thing that was unusual yesterday was the really high humidity across northern California. Dewpoints ranged from the mid 50s to the lower 60s yesterday in Chico, making it feel unusually sticky for this time of year. Normally by early June dewpoints should be in the 30s and 40s. I almost felt like I was back home in Indiana! Oh, and get ready for some serious heat next week- that part of the forecast has not changed. Here's the latest forecast information for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Today: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78. South southeast wind between 9 and 11 mph.

Tonight: A 50 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 59. South southeast wind between 9 and 13 mph.

Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78. Southeast wind between 15 and 17 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. South southeast wind between 6 and 13 mph.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 84. South southeast wind between 3 and 6 mph.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 89.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 90.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 94.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 95.

wet and breezy in June

I titled this blog post as such because we rarely, if ever, see stormy weather during the month of June. However, we will see it with not just one, but two storms that will roll through northern California over the next 48 hours. In fact, the second storm looks like it contains abundant moisture- enough to warrant a Special Weather Statement from the National Weather Service regarding possible overflows into Shasta Lake, which is about 10 miles north of Redding. Up to 2 inches of rain are forecast to fall over the southern Cascade Mountains. That, combined with snowmelt already occurring, will cause water officials to release some water from Shasta Lake into the Sacramento River to prevent overflow into the lake. That could cause rapid rises of the river all the way down into the Chico area. Now, Chico is five miles east of the Sacramento River, so there's no danger of flooding. However, there is a danger of drowning if you decide to fish or boat on or along the river over the next couple of days. Just be aware of the situation and keep a watch on sudden water level rises. Otherwise, hunker down and endure more wet, breezy weather beginning tonight with the first storm, followed by a second, potentially stronger storm tomorrow night into Friday. If you are sick and tired of the un- summer like conditions, don't fret. By early next week a strong dome of high pressure will anchor itself over the western U.S., and that will bring hot weather- low to mid 90s- to Chico. Here are the specifics from the National Weather Service:

Today: A 30 percent chance of rain after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. Calm wind becoming south between 8 and 11 mph.

Tonight: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. South wind between 7 and 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Thursday: A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79. South southeast wind between 10 and 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Thursday Night: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. South southeast wind between 10 and 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Friday: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. South southeast wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 84.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 86.

Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 60.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 90.

Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 59.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 95.

mixed bag of weather

Fog in June? Yep, as patchy fog has formed over parts of Butte County this morning. We normally don't see fog in June. The weekend in Chico weather-wise was very nice, with highs in the 70s and 80s. It's going to be a weird week ahead, as another rainy storm invades later this week. By early next week, however, we may see our first 90 degree day of the year. Certainly a variety of weather, that's for sure. As far as temperatures, they should stay mild through the weekend, so there should not be a need to pull out the jacket or sweater. Here's the specific forecast for Chico from the National Weather Service:

Today: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79. South southeast wind between 3 and 9 mph.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. South wind at 6 mph becoming northeast.

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81. Light wind becoming south southeast between 10 and 13 mph.

Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain. Cloudy, with a low around 59. South wind between 8 and 11 mph.

Thursday: A 40 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76. South southeast wind around 7 mph.

Thursday Night: A 50 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60.

Friday: A 40 percent chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 75.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 84.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 59.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 87.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 91.