Sunny and 78: Sacramento weather nice again. What about Memorial Day weekend?
After Tuesday saw light showers and isolated thunderstorms miss the capital region, Sacramento should see dry weather with pleasant temperatures Wednesday through at least Friday.
A high of 77 degrees Wednesday and 78 Thursday and Friday will accompany mostly sunny weather, according to the latest National Weather Service forecast.
Memorial Day weekend weather is unsettled, with the latest forecasts showing a slight chance of showers Saturday and Sunday. High temperatures around 70 degrees are predicted for each day.
Forecasts closer to the weekend should give a better sense of how wet or cool the holiday weekend may be.
Meanwhile near the Sierra, mountain travel conditions have improved considerably while snow continues at higher elevations. Rain showers and a chance of isolated thunderstorms will linger in the foothills.
How ’bout those rain records?
Sacramento Executive Airport needed 0.07 inches of rain to tie the all-time May record of 3.13 inches. While it rained harder elsewhere in the county, only 0.01 inches were recorded by NWS Sacramento, according to preliminary measurements.
May isn’t over, though, so showers anytime between this weekend and next Friday could make it, officially, the wettest May ever recorded at that site.
Downtown Sacramento already broke its record Sunday, reaching 3.28 inches to break a 130-year-old record of 3.25 inches, according to NWS. No rain was recorded downtown Tuesday.
Afternoon thunderstorms struck Tuesday afternoon further north in the Sacramento Vallley, in Butte County. Heavy rain and hail prompted brief weather advisories and flood warnings near Chico, as well as the interchange of Highway 99 and Highway 70 near Oroville.
Sierra snow lets up
NWS Reno reported that Sierra road conditions “rapidly” improved after morning snowfall Tuesday. As of 7 a.m. Wednesday, no chain controls were in place on Interstate 80 or Highway 50.
A little less than 6 inches fell between Monday night and Tuesday throughout much of the Sierra, with snow levels falling to about 5,500 feet.
Photos of I-80 taken Tuesday showcased some of the reduced visibility that NWS, Caltrans and California Highway Patrol had warned of prior to the storm system.
Light snow showers may continue Wednesday, but mostly south of Highway 50 and above 7,500 feet, NWS says.
NWS says to expect “cool, showery” weather to continue through Memorial Day weekend, but another dumping of snow along mountain highways does not appear likely in the coming days.
This story was originally published May 22, 2019 at 7:20 AM.
