June 6, 2019 – Temperatures cooling to near normal today, then below normal Friday. Warming to well above normal over the weekend and early next week. Gusty northerly wind increases fire weather concerns in the Central Valley Friday into Sunday.
Discussion
Upper level trough passing through the Pacific NW will cause onshore flow to develop with gusty southwest winds and much cooler temperatures from late today into Friday. Highs will fall back into the 80’s and may struggle to warm out of the 70’s Friday. Gusty North winds will then develop Friday afternoon into Saturday, as the trough pushes east into the Great Basin Region.
Wind gusts in the 25 to 35 mph range could be possible, mainly on the west side of the Sacramento Valley. The combination of gusty winds and low humidity will result in elevated fire weather concerns across portions of the Valley. A Fire Weather Watch is in effect from Friday afternoon into Sunday.
The cool down will be a short one with temperatures warming back into the 90’s Saturday and Sunday.
Extended Discussion (Monday through Thursday)
Upper level high pressure ridge over the west coast will keep daytime high temperatures on the increase with daytime Maximums on Monday forecast to be about 15 degrees above normal. Record highs not in jeopardy, however, and not likely to be broken. Minimum RH values will be fairly low but winds should be fairly light Monday under the ridge so should see lower fire weather danger than over the weekend. Overall airmass warms slightly on Tuesday with daytime highs expected to climb a bit more.
Current forecast remains dry for the middle of next week but latest model runs hinting at an upper trough moving into Norcal on Wednesday and Thursday. This could bring some showers to the region but will wait for further model runs and more consistency before making changes. Either way, should see at least a little cooling for the end of the extended.