Is rain and chilly weather finally over for Sacramento? Here’s your April outlook

It’s finally time to hang up your umbrella, just not in a spot that is completely out of sight.

Sacramento is not quite in a dry pattern, said meteorologist Cory Mueller with the National Weather Service, but the region is slowly shifting to calmer weather. Better news: There are no more major wet storms or “atmospheric river” storms on the horizon.

Earlier this week, showers were predicted for Sunday. As of Friday morning, the forecast was clear and mostly sunny with temperatures fluctuating between the low-to mid-40s and the low-60s throughout the rest of the week.

“It doesn’t mean that we’re out of the woods completely this year,” Mueller said.

The valley is drying up, and weak rain and snow are forecast to be isolated in the mountains. As spring progresses, the city could get some scattered showers but they should be less extreme than what we’ve received over the last several months.

In January, more than 7.5 inches of rain fell across the city, surpassing the monthly average by more than 3.6 inches, according to the Sacramento rain meter. The rain slowed in February, missing its monthly midpoint by more than 1 inch.

The wet weather kicked back up in March with roughly 4.9 inches of rain compared to the 2.8-inch average.

Below-normal precipitation is forecast for April across California along with cooler-than-normal temperatures, which is “what we want to see,” Mueller said. In Sacramento, 1.44 inches is average.

As of Wednesday, 59 feet of snow has fallen across the Sierra Nevada since Oct. 1, according to the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab. The cooler temperatures and little rain forecast for April will allow the snowpack to warm up slowly, preventing the snow from melting all at once.

Last year, temperatures rose to the low 90s the first week of April. This year, temperatures could hit an average high of 77 degrees by April 30.

This story was originally published March 31, 2023 at 10:37 AM.