SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A rare summer thunderstorm is in the forecast for the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys overnight Monday into early Tuesday.
Sacramento might be the sunniest place on earth in July, averaging 98% of daylight hours being sunny, but a push of monsoonal moisture from the Desert Southwest will bring the outside chance of rain and thunderstorms.
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While chances are small, it is a welcome sight as Sacramento has been baking in the heat this summer. Sacramento averages 23 days of 100 degree heat a year and needs only one more day of 100-plus degrees to match this total.
The storm chances overnight and into tomorrow are due to monsoonal moisture being pumped northward from the Desert Southwest. A weak low pressure system over the coast will help funnel this moisture into the area, along with milder temperatures.
Rain chances for the lower elevations remains low due to drier air near the valley floor. Virga, the term denoted to rain that doesn't reach the ground, and isolated lighting strikes associated with cloud cover are more likely.
The Sierra will have a higher likelihood of showers and thunderstorms due to a higher content of moisture in the atmosphere riding along the spine of the mountains. The precipitable water (PWAT), a measure of how much water is stored in the atmosphere, are much higher than average for this time of year due to this surge of moisture.
This can come as good news since the damage incurred by dry lightning will be lowered. A similar, yet slightly drier monsoonal event in August of 2020, resulted in nearly 2 million acres burned.
It is unclear as of now as to whether or not the thunderstorms will harm or assist in the fight against the Oak Fire. Strong, erratic winds associated with thunderstorms are one of the main concerns for fire fighting crews. Unpredictable winds could harm the progress being made on the Oak Fire, along with potential fires that could spark from lightning strikes.
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