SACRAMENTO, Calif —
A pattern change is on the way to Northern California that will bring an end to the warm, spring-like weather that's been in place for the last week.
Tuesday, the first day of spring, will be another warm day with highs reaching into the mid to upper 70s across the valley under sunny skies.
This abnormally warm stretch of weather will continue until Friday thanks to a strong ridge of high pressure overhead. The ridge will slowly break down and move east until then, and temperatures will gradually decrease daily. Still, temperatures will be above the average high of 67 for this time of year. Wednesday and Thursday will be in the low 70s and the Sierra will see highs rise into the 50s.
The mild weather will also be paired with high pollen counts before the change in weather helps to knock down some of the pollen by the weekend.
By Friday, cooler and cloudier conditions will precede the arrival of rain and snow to the region. The aforementioned high pressure system will be replaced by low pressure developing in the region, hence the cooler temperatures and increased precipitation chances.
Rain showers will begin Friday afternoon in the valley. Snow will begin a few hours later in the Sierra as the low pressure system ushers in cooler air. Snow levels will begin around 6,500-7,000 feet before dropping as low as 4,000 feet by Sunday as the system wraps up.
Saturday will see showers as well, along with thunderstorm chances depending on how much clearing there is in the cloud cover. Most of the rain and snow will be done by around midnight but a few lingering showers are possible Sunday.
Rain totals will be in the 0.25-1.25" range with the higher totals being in eastern valley locations. Between 1-2 feet of snow is expected above 6,000 feet but these totals will continue to fluctuate in the coming days.
High temperatures will be in the low 60s this weekend in the valley, and 30s and 40s in the Sierra.
This pattern of cooler, wetter conditions is expected to last through the next two weeks according to the Climate Prediction Center.
