Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Sacramento, CA
Issued by NWS Sacramento, CA
625 FXUS66 KSTO 301918 AFDSTO Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Sacramento CA 1218 PM PDT Thu Jul 30 2026 For additional details on weather and expected impacts over the next 7 days, please visit weather.gov/sto/briefing. .KEY MESSAGES... - Elevated Fire Weather Conditions in the northern Sacramento Valley and surrounding terrain, Burney Basin, and Sierra Foothills Friday through Monday due to hot temperatures, low humidities, and breezy winds. - Widespread Moderate HeatRisk Friday into next week across the Valley and Foothills. Hottest temperatures expected Saturday- Monday. && .DISCUSSION... Rest of today... Another day of seasonable temperatures, dry weather, and light to breezy onshore winds is on track for today across interior NorCal. While building ridging aloft is expected to dominate much of the weather pattern Friday into next week, split flow aloft remains in place today as a punchy shortwave moves onshore near the Oregon/California border. Despite the shortwave presence, limited available moisture aloft and persistent dry surface conditions will keep precipitation chances decidedly at 0 percent for interior NorCal. Otherwise, winds will continue to follow diurnal trends with a gradually increasing onshore push through the afternoon and evening hours followed by lighter winds overnight into Friday morning. Friday into next week... The late week into the weekend period will then see the large scale ridge axis begin to center over the Desert Southwest and Great Basin with rising heights aloft expanding to include interior NorCal as well. This will result in a rapid warm up to above normal temperatures and Moderate HeatRisk area wide through the weekend and into next week. Current probabilities for high temperatures greater than 100F sit around 60-90% for the Delta, Valley, and lower foothills. Additionally, 50-80% probabilities of high temperatures greater than 105F are forecast for the northern Sacramento Valley Saturday-Tuesday. A longwave trough ejecting from the Gulf of Alaska toward the northern Pac NW over the weekend will present a slight wrinkle in the weather pattern. While precipitation chances remain at 0 percent, periods of breezy north to west winds are expected to develop at times across the northern Sacramento Valley and surrounding terrain, Burney Basin, and northeast Sierra foothills. Strongest winds gusting 15 to 25 mph are anticipated late Saturday afternoon into midday Sunday and again Sunday evening into midday Monday. The combination of low daytime humidity values into the lower teens and upper single digits, limited overnight humidity recovery, and periodically breezy winds will introduce elevated fire weather conditions to the above areas Friday-Monday. As the passing longwave trough flattens the ridge and introduces broader reinforcing onshore flow to interior NorCal early to mid next week, a slight cool down is anticipated, although widespread Moderate HeatRisk is still expected to persist. && .AVIATION... VFR conditions are expected to prevail over the next 24 hours. Winds generally remain 12 kts or less at TAF sites, although some gusts nearing 18 kts will be possible through 06z Friday. Stronger sustained winds up to 15 kts with gusts up to 22 kts are otherwise expected through the Delta, gradually weakening after 12z Friday. && .STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$