Dry weather with cold nights and mild days will continue through the week

December 5, 2017 – Dry weather this week with cool nights and mild days. Gusty north to east winds will gradually decrease today.

Discussion

Clear skies across interior NorCal as the upper ridge amplifies along the West Coast. Strong north to east pressure gradients remain in place with both the MFR-SAC and RNO-SAC gradients currently around 9 mbs. Northerly winds with gusts of 15-25 mph continue through much of the Central Valley while northeast gusts of 35-60 mph continue across the higher elevations of the northern Sierra Nevada. Overnight, gusts over 100 mph have been reported along the crest west of Lake Tahoe.

Breezy to windy conditions will continue today in the Sacramento Valley and over the higher elevations of the northern Sierra Nevada, though winds are expected to decrease gradually through the day as pressure gradients relax.

Dry weather with cold nights and mild days will continue through the week. Most of the valley is expected to see minimum temperatures remain slightly above the freezing mark as residual north winds continue. Areas that see winds go calm will see a greater potential for readings dipping down to the freezing mark or slightly below, though dew points are forecast to recover into the lower to mid 30s.

Extended discussion (Saturday through Tuesday)

Strong ridging remains in place into next week. This will continue dry and mild conditions for interior NorCal. Much above normal daytime highs. Cool nights expected due to clear skies and light winds. Hazy skies from time to time as air mass remains stagnant.