Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Sacramento, CA
Issued by NWS Sacramento, CA
332 FXUS66 KSTO 262143 AFDSTO Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Sacramento CA 143 PM PST Mon Jan 26 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Areas of dense fog in the Valley and lower foothills tonight into Tuesday morning - Slight chances for light showers mid week and again over the weekend mainly north of Interstate 80. Little to no impacts expected. && .DISCUSSION... ...Today through Tuesday Morning... The region remains under upper level ridging today, with dry weather prevailing across the area. For tonight into Tuesday morning, high resolution ensemble guidance indicates a 40 to 65 percent chance of visibilities less than 1/2 mile in the central/southern Sacramento Valley, and the northern San Joaquin Valley. A Dense Fog Advisory has been issued for the central/southern Sacramento Valley and northern San Joaquin Valley from 10 PM tonight through 11 AM PST Tuesday. Be sure to slow down and use low- beam headlights if fog is encountered while driving. ...Tuesday Afternoon through the Weekend... By Tuesday afternoon, chances for light rain and snow showers return to the area and continue into early Wednesday morning, mainly from Interstate 80 northward as an upper level trough deepens over the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Latest WPC precipitation guidance indicates amounts ranging from 0.01-0.30 inches; highest over the northern mountains. Upper level ridging then looks to build back in for the late week timeframe with dry weather and morning fog. Ensemble guidance then indicates the potential for another system to approach the Pacific Northwest by the weekend with some additional chances for light precipitation once again mainly north of Interstate 80 over the mountains. Little to no impacts are expected from either system as forecast precipitation amounts are fairly light. && .AVIATION... General VFR conditions for much of interior NorCal except for patchy MVFR/IFR/LIFR conditions in fog and mist from 05Z-19Z Tuesday in the Valley, with best chances from Sacramento southward. Surface winds generally below 10 kts through 20z Tuesday, when Valley wind gusts will increase up to 15 kts and foothill and mountain gusts will wincrease up to 25 kts through 06z Wednesday. && .STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Dense Fog Advisory from 10 PM this evening to 11 AM PST Tuesday for Central Sacramento Valley-Northern San Joaquin Valley- Southern Sacramento Valley. && $$