Cooler temperatures and cloudy skies in Sacramento region, but temps slated to rise for workweek

Cloudy skies and cooler temperatures are expected across the capital region on Saturday, with Sacramento reaching a high of 74 degrees. But the mild conditions are only passing through, according to forecasters.

Emily Heller, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Sacramento office, said that while a cloud system is lowering the temperatures, precipitation in the Sacramento area is not expected. The dry weather is forecast to continue through the following week, but wind gusts of up to 20 mph across the capital region begin on Sunday.

Temperatures on Sunday will reach a high of 79 degrees as the layer of clouds dissipates.

In the Sierra, temperatures will reach a high of 56 degrees on Saturday and 57 degrees on Sunday, with mostly sunny skies. However, a lake wind advisory was issued on Friday afternoon and will continue until 2 p.m. Sunday for areas around Lake Tahoe. Southwest winds of 15 to 25 mph are expected to create waves up to 4 feet tall.

The advisory warns that small boats, kayaks and paddleboards on the lake may capsize and should remain off of the water until weather conditions improve.

A red flag warning is also in effect until 8 p.m. Saturday, with forecasters predicting gusty southwest winds could pose a fire danger in the Tahoe Basin and Sierra front. The warning, upgraded from a fire weather watch on Friday, says that wind gusts could reach 35 to 45 mph, with passes experiencing gusts of up to 50 to 70 mph.

“The combination of gusty winds and extremely dry fuels can cause fire to rapidly grow in size and intensity before first responders can contain them,” the warning said.

The increased winds expected Sunday could hamper firefighters battling blazes across Northern California. Crews were utilizing the lack of significant wind and the increase in the relative humidity to get a handle on the region’s largest blazes, the Glass Fire in Napa and Sonoma counties, the Zogg Fire in Shasta and Tehama counties, and the August Complex to the Zogg’s southern flank.

Higher temperatures will return for the workweek. Temperatures will steadily rise, with a high of 84 degrees on Monday, 88 degrees on Tuesday and 92 degrees on Wednesday, amid clear, sunny skies. The heat is expected to stay about the same beyond Wednesday and into the end of the week.