Dense Fog Advisory for this morning

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SACRAMENTO HAS ISSUED A DENSE FOG ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM PST THIS MORNING. * TIMING: AREAS OF DENSE FOG CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH LATE MORNING. * LOCATIONS INCLUDE: MARYSVILLE...SACRAMENTO...STOCKTON...MODESTO. * IMPACTS: VISIBILITIES BELOW 1/4 MILE IMPACTING TRAVEL. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A DENSE FOG ADVISORY MEANS VISIBILITIES WILL FREQUENTLY BE REDUCED TO LESS THAN ONE QUARTER MILE. IF DRIVING...SLOW DOWN... USE YOUR HEADLIGHTS...AND LEAVE PLENTY OF DISTANCE AHEAD OF YOU.

Nice stretch of weather

Well, the sun finally came out today after three days of clouds and gloom. The day started out foggy and gray, but the sun began to peek through right before noon. The sunset this evening was spectacular; unfortunately, I was driving home at the time and could not get a photo. We should see more spectacular sunsets as skies will remain mainly cloud-free for the next several days. High temps will be mostly in the upper 50s to low 60s, and overnight lows in the upper 30s/ lower 40s. The annual Christmas Tree Lighting takes place tomorrow night at the Downtown Plaza in Chico. The festivities start around 6pm. The weather should be very nice, with clear skies and temps in the lower 50s. Bring a jacket, but leave the umbrella at home. Here is Chico's seven day outlook from the National Weather Service: Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 40. North northwest wind 5 to 9 mph. Friday Sunny, with a high near 59. Northwest wind 6 to 10 mph. Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 39. North northwest wind 6 to 11 mph. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 60. North northwest wind 9 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 40. North wind 10 to 13 mph. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 59. Sunday Night Clear, with a low around 38. Monday Sunny, with a high near 62. Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 42. Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 60. Tuesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. Wednesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 56.

nice stretch of dry weather

Chico has received 1.21 inches of rain the past 24 hours, with temperatures stuck in the mid 50s. The gray, drizzly weather will persist this morning, but hopefully the sun will peek through the clouds later today as this weather system moves out. Tomorrow the sun really returns, and stays with us through the middle of next week. This will allow Chico to dry out from the recent heavy rains. Highs the next seven days will be in the upper 50s, which is where we should be this time of year. Overnight lows will be in the upper 30s to around 40 degrees. Enjoy the sunshine! Here's Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Today Showers, mainly before 10am. High near 56. South southeast wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Tonight A 30 percent chance of showers before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. Calm wind. Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 59. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm. Thursday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 40. Calm wind becoming north northwest around 6 mph in the evening. Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 58. Northwest wind 3 to 7 mph. Friday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 39. Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 58. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 40. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 58. Sunday Night Clear, with a low around 39. Monday Sunny, with a high near 61. Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 38. Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 59.

a brief break before more rain

Chico and Butte County remain under a Flood Warning until 10 am this morning for urban and small creek flooding. Today will be dry and partly sunny, a brief break before more rain comes in late tonight. Tomorrow and Wednesday look wet, and Chico may see another half an inch to an inch of rainfall from this next storm. Since last Wednesday, Chico has received over five and a third inches of rain. For some perspective, that total is the average amount of rainfall we typically see for the entire month of January! The rest of this week beyond Wednesday looks nice and dry, with sunshine and seasonal temperatures. Here's Chico's seven day forecast from the National Weather Service: Today Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 59. Calm wind becoming south southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. Tonight A 50 percent chance of rain after 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48. Calm wind. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Tuesday Rain. High near 57. Southeast wind 6 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Tuesday Night Rain. Low around 49. Southeast wind 9 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Wednesday Showers, mainly before 4pm. High near 59. South southeast wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Wednesday Night A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. Thursday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 40. Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 59. Friday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. Saturday Partly sunny, with a high near 57. Saturday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. Sunday Mostly sunny, with a high near 57.

some damage from today's storm

Here is some wind and flooding damage in Chico from last night and early this morning. Pretty dramatic pictures, with Five Mile Recreation Area in Bidwell Park almost completely submerged. The gas station that suffered the damage is located on 8th Street just west of Hwy 99. This was a serious storm!

update on the latest storm

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SACRAMENTO HAS ISSUED A * FLOOD WATCH FOR A PORTION OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS...CENTRAL SACRAMENTO VALLEY AND NORTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY. * FROM 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON * FLOODING WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE AROUND LOW LYING AREAS NEAR THE UPPER SACRAMENTO RIVER...ESPECIALLY AROUND RED BLUFF THROUGH MONDAY. SOME CREEKS THAT MAY EXPERIENCE CONTINUED FLOODING INCLUDE COW CREEK...COTTONWOOD CREEK...BATTLE CREEK...CLEAR CREEK...DRY CREEK...BUTTE CREEK. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A FLOOD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING BASED ON CURRENT FORECASTS. YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE FLOOD WARNINGS. THOSE LIVING IN AREAS PRONE TO FLOODING SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLOODING DEVELOP. In addition, there is a Small Stream and Urban Flood Advisory until 10:30 am this morning for Chico and all of Butte County for the potential of street flooding. Also, three bodies of water flow through Chico: Big Chico Creek, Little Chico Creek, and Lindo Channel. Of course, Lindo Channel is a human-made bypass for Big Chico Creek's excessive runoff, but even Lindo Channel is nearly overflowing at this time. Many homes and neighborhoods are adjacent to Lindo Channel and both Big and Little Chico Creek. Be ready to move if you see the water begin to rise. Heavy rain has inundated our area since last evening. So far at the time of this blog posting, Chico has received nearly two inches of rain since yesterday evening, with more coming. At my house in the foothills east of Chico, elevation 1500 feet, my rain gauge has measured nearly 4 inches of rain in the past 24 hours. The rain should taper to showers this morning, and the showers should end by later this afternoon. Be safe out there!

one more storm

Let's do it one more time! There is another storm, the third in the series, to affect our area today and tonight. But first, how much rain has Chico received in the past 24 hours ending at 8 pm last night? Why, only 2.30 inches! The creeks and bypasses are overflowing currently, and this latest storm could only make conditions worse. The ground is already saturated, and any more heavy rain we receive will now just run off into those already overflowing creeks. A Flood Watch continues to be in effect until Monday afternoon, while a Wind Advisory will go into effect beginning at 10 pm tonight and last until 10 am tomorrow (Sunday). Wind gusts in excess of 40 mph in the valley, and 50 mph in the foothills, are likely during that time period. Chico could receive another 1 to 3 inches of rain between now and tomorrow afternoon. Some mountain locations east of Chico could get another 10 inches of rain! Snow will be confined to above 7000 feet, as this is a very warm storm tapping into subtropical moisture. Monday should be calm, but another storm has its sights set on us Tuesday. Chances of rain linger through Wednesday, then it should dry out for Thursday and Friday (fingers crossed). Here is Chico's seven day outlook from the National Weather Service: Today Rain. High near 61. South southeast wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Tonight Rain. Low around 54. Breezy, with a south southeast wind 25 to 29 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible. Sunday Showers. High near 57. Windy, with a south wind 21 to 31 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible. Sunday Night A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. East southeast wind 7 to 10 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Monday Mostly sunny, with a high near 59. Calm wind. Monday Night A 30 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45. Tuesday Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 58. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Tuesday Night Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. Wednesday A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. Wednesday Night A slight chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 58. Thursday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 43. Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 57.