Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Sacramento, CA
Issued by NWS Sacramento, CA
390 FXUS66 KSTO 082207 AFDSTO Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Sacramento CA 307 PM PDT Wed May 8 2024 .SYNOPSIS... Gusty north to east winds continue into Thursday. Widespread Valley highs in the 90s Friday into week. && .DISCUSSION... Higher pressure ridging over the Pacific Northwest combined with low pressure over the Great Basin and Rocky Mountains is bringing a strong northerly surface pressure gradient to the area. Winds in the Valley today have been gusting to 35 to 45 mph, with a Wind Advisory remaining in effect through Thursday, 8 am. Some peak gusts in the area over the past 24 hours include 46 mph at Sacramento International Airport, 41 mph at Sacramento Executive Airport, 35 mph at Lincoln Airport, 36 mph at Redding Airport, and 31 mph Stockton. Winds in the Valley should peak by later this afternoon and early evening. Lighter northerly winds are expected during the Day Thursday. Strong northeasterly to easterly winds have also been evident in the mountains today, with widespread gusts 45 to 60 mph over peaks. A Wind Advisory continues until 11 am Thursday for the mountains and the northeast foothills. Winds there are expected to peak overnight tonight and then gradually decrease through the day as the pressure gradient decreases. Temperatures are 3 to 7 degrees warmer than yesterday, with Valley temperatures generally in the mid to upper 70s at 2 pm. Highs today are expected to peak around 80. A gradual warming trend will occur through the week into the weekend as ridging builds over the Pacific Northwest. High temperatures reach 10 to 15 degrees above normal Friday and Saturday, as Valley highs climb into the low 90`s. This will bring brief periods of moderate heat risk during the afternoon hours. A Delta Breeze will bring some slight cooling on Sunday into influenced areas, including the Sacramento metro area.low Dry weather is expected for most of the area, though the low will retrograde (move west) Thursday night and Friday. This will bring some instability and moisture over the central Sierra. Some Friday afternoon showers and thunderstorms are possible over the Sierra Crest south of Highway 50. && .EXTENDED DISCUSSION (Sunday THROUGH Wednesday)... Clusters and ensembles continue to show ridging as the dominant forecast feature through the extended, continuing our stretch of above normal temperatures and generally dry weather. Clusters show some uncertainty regarding the amplitude (strength) of the ridge in the Pacific creating a larger range of possibilities for afternoon temperatures next week. The NBM reflects this high temperature uncertainty, with spread of 10-14 degrees mid to late week, making exact forecast details uncertain at this point. The current forecast has afternoon high in the upper 80s to mid 90s in the Valley with mainly 70s and 80s for the mountains and foothills. Dry weather continues across the area next week except for a slight chance of Monday afternoon showers and thunderstorms are possible over the Sierra Crest south of Highway 50. && .AVIATION... VFR conditions across interior NorCal over the next 24 hours. In the Valley, northerly surface winds of up to 15-25 kts with local gusts of 25-35 kts. In foothills and mountain areas, north to east surface wind gusts of 30-45 kts through about 18Z Thursday. && .STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory until 8 AM PDT Thursday for Carquinez Strait and Delta-Central Sacramento Valley-Mountains Southwestern Shasta County to Western Colusa County-Northeast Foothills/Sacramento Valley-Northern Sacramento Valley-Southern Sacramento Valley- West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada-Western Plumas County/Lassen Park. && $$