‘Pushing about 10 degrees above normal’: Sacramento weather is about to hit mid-70s
Dust off those T-shirts and give them a wash. Warm weather is coming to Sacramento.
Temperatures will rise from the upper 60s Friday and Saturday up to 72 on Sunday and 74 — yes, 74 — by Monday, the latest National Weather Service forecast shows.
“We’ll be pushing about 10 degrees above normal by Sunday,” NWS forecaster Chris Hintz said. Average highs for this time of year are about 64 degrees.
Temperatures throughout the rest of the Sacramento Valley will be similar, if not warmer.
The high temperatures are a result of a high-pressure ridge, creating a warm air mass over the area, Hintz said. Warm, dry and sunny conditions will continue until about Wednesday, he said. NWS in a tweet Wednesday said a storm track has shifted northward to Canada, leaving California dry and mild.
Sunday will be the warmest day in the region since mid-November, according to NWS, and this weekend figures to be the warmest of the year so far throughout Northern California.
Even the Sierra’s warming up
For those who have postponed that trip to Tahoe one or two or six weekends due to near-constant winter storms causing treacherous driving conditions, this may finally be the weekend.
South Lake Tahoe’s high temperatures this weekend will be between the mid-40s to mid-50s, Hintz said. Lows will be between the teens and mid-20s.
No snow or rain is expected in the forecast through Monday. Chain controls are not anticipated.
Record snow totals at numerous Tahoe-area ski resorts prompted some to extend their ski season by a week are more, including all Vail resorts in the area (Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood). Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows will keep its ski season running through early July.
Is that it for the rain?
Hintz said another system is expected Wednesday in Northern California.
“But right now it doesn’t look like a whole lot of rain,” Hintz said. “I’d say light to moderate precipitation expected.”
The following weekend is a bit of a toss-up, Hintz said; one forecasting model shows a dry stretch, another shows some rain.
Sacramento is already at 99 percent of its normal precipitation totals by Sept. 30 thanks to the heavy downpours brought on by atmospheric river systems earlier this year, which resulted in one of the city’s wettest Februaries on record.
This story was originally published March 14, 2019 at 7:20 AM.
