Rain, storms possible in Sacramento area as weekend temps cool. Here’s what to expect
After a spell of warm and dry conditions, wet and cooler weather is returning to Sacramento this weekend, with the highest chance of rain showers Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
Thunderstorms are possible in the foothills, mountains and northern Sacramento Valley on Sunday, the weather service said.
This slightly stronger breeze from the Delta region will also contribute to some cooler temperatures this weekend, said Sierra Littlefield, a weather service meteorologist.
Rain this weekend
The capital region is expected to receive around a tenth of an inch of rain this weekend, Littlefield said.
A good portion of the day on Saturday is expected to be dry, and rain has the highest chance of falling this weekend from Saturday night to early Sunday afternoon.
“This time of year, that’s pretty exciting for the Sacramento area,” she said. “It might be our last chance for a while.”
Highs are expected in the mid to upper 70s this weekend, which is around five degrees below average for this time of year, Littlefield said. The latest weather service forecast has the high hovering at 80 degrees Saturday and Sunday. Lows will be near 60 degrees.
“It will be cloudy and maybe a little breezy at times,” Littlefield said. “It won’t be your typical bountiful sunshine, California sunshine June valley weekend…”
The chances of rain are expected to “substantially decline” by Sunday evening.
How does this rain affect the drought?
The time frame for storms that bring greater precipitation to the area has passed. Drought conditions will most likely remain the same from this weekend’s spring showers.
But some rain is better than none, and the small amount of rain this weekend may be beneficial.
“It will probably help delay the drying of the area, but it will not likely impact drought all that noticeably,” Littlefield said.
Recent temperatures in the area have been higher than usual around this time of year, reaching 92 degrees Thursday afternoon.
This story was originally published June 3, 2022 at 5:00 AM.