SACRAMENTO, Calif. — ABC10 created an index about halfway through spring related to how 'ideal' this spring has been in terms of temperature.
The index was based solely on temperature in order to simplify the argument, although variables like wind speed, precipitation, cloud cover and humidity certainly play a role in how ideal a day's weather really is.
By subtracting five degrees off the average high temperature for the date of the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice, the (subjective) range comes out to 65-85 degrees. This lines up well with the average Americans ideal temperature of 72, according to a YouGov poll.
Out of the 92 days of spring so far, and with the first day of summer on Wednesday, 49 fall within this category (53%).
In comparison, an idealized, completely average spring based on historical climate normals would consist of 74 days within the given threshold.
The main story in 2023 has been how many days have been below the threshold, rather than above.
The map below from ag-wx.com shows average daily temperatures - not high temperatures. It demonstrates that apart from a few warm stretches, Sacramento has stayed cool for most of the year, including spring.
Sacramento has also been spared from 100 degree temperatures this year, falling far behind the average first 100 degree day of June 4. Surprisingly enough, Sacramento is ahead of the curve on 90 degrees so far in 2023, even though it has been a relatively cool spring. Fifteen days have reached at least 90, compared to the average of nine days through the summer solstice.
Unfortunately, it looks like 100s could be on their way back to Northern California by very late June and into early July. The Climate Prediction Center's 8-14 day outlook shows California being above average in terms of temperature for the first time in over a month.
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