As far as Johnnie Powell knows, summer's end won't arrive for another month. The tilt of the Earth and the rest of the cosmos ordain it so.
Never mind the unmistakable chill in the morning air – unexpected sweater weather in the height of August.
Rest assured, Powell said, the recent cool spell isn't the dawn of a new ice age.
Tuesday's high of 84 degrees in Sacramento was eight degrees cooler than the typical summer's high temperature of 92, said Powell, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Sacramento. Monday's mercury stalled at 79 degrees.
Sacramento summers aren't just about hot and hotter, and breaking out in a sweat.
"This is not Bakersfield. This is not Redding. And this is not Death Valley," where it's always hot, said Powell. "This is Sacramento. We're right here at the mouth of the Delta, and every summer we cool off."
"It's not uncommon for us to get temperatures in the low 80s, even 70s, in the summer. It happens every year, but people get surprised," Powell said.
"Usually people always complain that it's always hot. … People only remember the hot days, not the cool days," he said. "They complain that it's always too hot at the State Fair."
At Cal Expo, State Fair officials certainly aren't complaining about the cooler, pleasant temperatures.
"When it gets to be over 100 degrees, the reality is that people don't want to be outside – and blacktop makes it more intense," said Cal Expo General Manager Norb Bartosik.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist – or a weather forecaster – to figure out that when temperatures go down, attendance at the State Fair usually rises. And when temperatures hit the century mark – as it did on Friday when the mercury climbed to 102 – people stay home.
"Anything 80 to 90 is perfect," Bartosik said. "We can actually take temperatures in the 90s and see a slight difference in the size of crowds, but once it gets above 100 it is just a mental thing with people. The perception is that there is nowhere they can go to escape the heat. That is not really the case."
Misters and giant fans operate on the central promenade and at other points on the fairgrounds.
"Weather like this is ideal. It's going to be great," said Bartosik. "It got downright cool out here last night. I was walking around with a short-sleeved shirt and wished I brought a jacket."
Jim Burr, owner of Burr's Fountain on Folsom Boulevard, said the temperatures this week are pretty much perfect for ice cream sales.
"One hundred and over is not good because people don't go out when it is that hot from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.," said Burr. "I'd say 85 to 90 is probably the best. We had a great lunch hour. Warm enough to want an ice cream but not so hot they won't leave their air conditioning."
The lowest recorded daytime weather for a summer's day in Sacramento? It was 65 degrees on July 3, 1910.
The mild temperatures won't last, however. Readings will climb back to normal, reaching an expected high of 92 degrees later this week.
The hottest days of the year usually occur in late July and early August, said Powell of the National Weather Service. "That means we've got nothing but good days to look forward to."
Call The Bee's Bobby Caina Calvan, (916) 321-1067.
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