SACRAMENTO, Calif — Monday will see the warmest temperatures of the year so far, but the heat will be quickly replaced by cooler and unsettled weather on Tuesday.
The valley will see temperatures rise into the upper 80s, and a few spots may hit 90 under the ridge of high pressure overhead. Downtown Sacramento reached 87 degrees on Sunday, well above the average of 75 degrees. Monday is forecast to be slightly warmer than Sunday but still much milder than the April 22 record high of 94 set in 2009.
Low pressure will replace the high pressure system as it moves east. Due to the influence of the low pressure system, high temperatures will be 10-15 degrees cooler on Tuesday compared to Monday.
The system will also promote an onshore breeze, so expect the return of the delta breeze this week in the evenings. Thursday will be the breeziest day of the week, and cloud cover will build in throughout the day.
The high temperature on Tuesday in Sacramento will be around 75 and low 70s are expected in the valley through the rest of the work week. Foothill temperatures will rise into the 60s for most of the week. The Sierra will be in the 60s early in the week, but it will be in the 50s toward the end of the work week.
Thunderstorms are possible in the foothills and mountains on Tuesday and Wednesday thanks to unstable air and moisture brought onshore by the trough of low pressure. For those heading up to the Sierra this week, be ready for brief downpours, hail, gusty winds and lightning.
Another system dipping into the region on Thursday night will result in rain and high elevation snow showers on Thursday on Friday. Little to no rain is expected in most valley areas, but a few hundredths are possible through Friday, particularly in eastern valley locations and the northern Sacramento Valley. 0.10-0.50" of rain is expected in foothill and mountain locations and a dusting of snow above 7,000 feet.
Slightly cooler than average temperatures are expected to continue through the next two weeks. The Climate Prediction Center favors both cooler and wetter than normal conditions for Northern California during this period.
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