Triple-digits to hit Sacramento on Memorial Day weekend. Here’s when it’ll be hottest
Summer doesn’t officially start for a few more weeks, but Northern California will definitely be hot enough this Memorial Day weekend to kick off 2021’s pool party season.
Temperatures will ramp up to blistering levels through the weekend in Sacramento, forecast to reach highs of around 90 degrees Friday and Saturday, 100 on Sunday and 104 on Memorial Day, according to the latest National Weather Service forecasts.
Those temperatures triggered an excessive heat watch for most of interior Northern California from Sunday afternoon through Tuesday.
A high of 104 at the agency’s primary local weather station at Sacramento Executive Airport would slip past the all-time record for May 31, set in 2001 at 103 degrees. Downtown Sacramento reached 106 that same day.
Farther north in the valley, Redding is expected to hit 107 degrees on the Monday holiday.
The highest temperature in Sacramento so far in 2021 has been 97 degrees, reached earlier this month, according to NWS records.
Low triple-digits are in the preliminary forecast for next Tuesday, while Wednesday may die down to the mid-90s.
Relatively calm winds, mostly below 10 mph, are expected through at least Saturday.
A couple of hours east in South Lake Tahoe, temperatures will increase from the upper 60s Friday and Saturday to around 76 degrees by Memorial Day. Just a week ago, it snowed in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Those hoping to spend some of the holiday weekend outdoors should be sure to stay hydrated and wear a life jacket on any waterway. Though air temperature may be high, rivers still run very cold this time of year, weather and emergency agencies warn.
