Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Sacramento, CA
Issued by NWS Sacramento, CA
220 FXUS66 KSTO 171903 AFDSTO Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Sacramento CA 1203 PM PDT Fri Apr 17 2026 For additional details on weather and expected impacts over the next 7 days, please visit weather.gov/sto/briefing. .KEY MESSAGES... - Breezy but gradually decreasing north to east winds today - Dry weather into the weekend with near to slightly above normal temperatures - Storm system brings renewed precipitation chances in rain, mountain snow and thunderstorms Sunday night through mid next week, along with cooler temperatures and breezy winds && .DISCUSSION... ...Today through Sunday... Lingering breezy north to east winds are being observed across portions of interior northern California on this Friday afternoon. Winds will gradually be decreasing through the rest of the day as an upper trough continues to shift eastward and upper level ridging replaces it. Dry and warmer weather is in store for today and as we head into the weekend. Temperatures will warm to near to slightly above normal for mid April climatology. Forecast highs will be in the 70s to near 80 in the Valley, 60s to 70s in the foothills, and 50s to 60s in the mountains for today through Sunday. A storm will then approach the region Sunday night and bring cooler and wetter weather next week. ...Next Week... Ensemble guidance indicates an upper low approaching the area Sunday night, bringing renewed precipitation conditions to interior northern California early to mid next week. Confidence is increasing on this pattern change to cooler and wetter weather. The latest guidance shows that the storm has slowed slightly, with very little change to the rain and snow forecast amounts since the previous forecast. The forecast rain amounts are expected to bring minor impacts with slick road conditions and increased travel times. Snow levels will initially be around 6000 to 7000 feet Monday, lowering to around 5000 to 6000 feet Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday. Moderate impacts are expected from snow, with mountain travel delays and chain controls possible. There is also a 15 to 30 percent chance of thunderstorms on Tuesday and Wednesday, but the best chances are on Tuesday. Expect periodically breezy winds with this as well. We will continue to evaluate the need for any winter products. Be sure to check back frequently for weather updates as we get closer! && .AVIATION... General VFR conditions at TAF sites over the next 24 hours. Decreasing northerly winds through the afternoon, becoming less than 12 kts everywhere by 00z Saturday. && .STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$