A chance of rain and temps in the mid-70s. Has fall weather arrived in Sacramento?

As if on cue, cooler weather and a chance of rain will arrive in Sacramento just in time for the start of October.

But precipitation, if it does enter the region, likely won’t stick around for long.

The National Weather Service predicts highs between the mid-70s and 80 degrees this week, with chances of precipitation Monday evening through Thursday.

“It should be fairly cool the next couple of days,” NWS meteorologist Tom Dang said. “The normal for this time of year is the mid-80s, so it’ll be 5 to 10 degrees cooler than normal.”

For downtown Sacramento, there’s a 20 chance of showers Monday and Wednesday, but the best chance is Tuesday at 50 percent, according to NWS forecasts.

Conditions will be similar in the foothills and in the Tahoe area this week, but with an additional 20-30 percent chance of rain in Thursday’s forecast and Lake Tahoe’s high temperatures in the 60s.

The cooler weather and precipitation are byproducts of a high-pressure system blowing in from the Pacific Ocean. By the time it finishes passing through the region by the end of the week, weather in the Sacramento region will warm back up a few degrees, Dang said, but may still remain slightly below average for early October.

“By Friday, it looks like things are dry again,” Dang said.

Dang reminded drivers, especially commuters, to use extra caution if it does rain this week. Though showers would be light, the first precipitation in months generally brings out slick oils in the roadways.

“Give yourself some extra time to get to work, because there’s a chance the roads will be extra slippery,” Dang said.

Downtown Sacramento had its last measured rainfall May 25, NWS records show.