SACRAMENTO, Calif —
Very warm temperatures for January standards helped topple multiple daily record high temperatures across the region on Sunday with more warm weather expected on Monday and Tuesday.
Thanks to the presence of a strong ridge of high pressure overhead, temperatures rose into the 70s across the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys on Sunday afternoon.
Downtown Sacramento recorded a high temperature of 73 degrees, shattering the previous daily record of 70 degrees and Sacramento Executive Airport broke the previous record as well. Stockton and Modesto didn't break any records on Sunday but temperatures were still nearly 10 degrees warmer than average.
Daily record highs are in jeopardy once again on Monday and Tuesday as the ridge remains the dominant weather feature.
A cooling trend begins Wednesday as the most impactful atmospheric river event of the winter so far nears. High temperatures will return to the low 60s on Wednesday which is still a few degrees above the average high of 59 degrees in Sacramento.
Wednesday marks the transition towards a much wetter, cooler period across California.
Rain is expected to begin around noon on Wednesday as the storm pushes into interior Northern California. A Flood Watch has been issued for portions on interior Northern California ahead of the event, with the heaviest precipitation expected Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
Snow levels will begin around 6,000-7,000 feet but will steadily drop throughout the event, ending up as low as 3,500 feet by Friday morning. Travel will be difficult, if not impossible, across the Sierra by Wednesday afternoon.
This system is expected to bring 1-3" of rain in the valley, heavy snow to the Sierra with 1-3 feet expected through Friday and gusty winds.
Another storm system is expected to arrive on Sunday, lasting through early next week.
WATCH ALSO:
