February got off to a promising start this weekend, with Sacramento getting measureable rainfall.
The amount is still small – 0.02 inch downtown and 0.04 inch at the Sacramento Executive Airport – but there are two more chances this week to add to that amount.
“We have two waves that will come through,” said Stefanie Henry, forecast meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento. “The first wave looks weaker than we might want – we might get some showers here and there – but that could change.”
The first wave will come Thursday, but the second one on Saturday will likely bring more moisture.
In the meantime, the past storm brought much needed rain to the west side of the Sacramento valley, the coastal range and the delta.
Stockton got 0.08 inch of precipitation, Modesto a trace, and Woodland 0.04 inch.
Other places that got a little more moisture include Brooks with 0.23 inches, and Fairfield and Travis both receiving 0.29 inches. A weather spotter five miles northwest of Cordelia reported half inch of rain,
Up in the mountains, the Sierra got up to 3 inches of new snow, and Lake County received up to 4 inches above 1,500 feet.
Monday, it will be mostly sunny in Sacramento, with a high of 57 degrees and a low at night of 34 degrees.
“It’s a bit chillier than we have seen,” said Henry, adding that the normal high is 58 degrees, and normal low is 42 degrees.
Tuesday is expected to have the same temperature readings as Monday, with sunny skies.
The mercury on Wednesday will creep up to 58 degrees, with the low dropping to 39 degrees.
Clouds will start moving in on Thursday, with a 20 percent chance of rain. Sacramento will likely get some showers, with a high of 55 degrees and a low of 33 degrees.
“The system dropping through is coming from the north,” said Henry. “It will swing through California and go into the southwest United States.”
Friday will be cloudy, as the weak front leaves the area. The thermometer will likely peak at 53 degrees, and plummet to 31 degrees at night.
There is 20 to 40 percent chance of rain on Saturday, as a stronger system moves into the area. Temperatures will be slightly warmer – a high of 54 degrees and a low of 39 degrees.
But the rain will continue through Sunday, which has a 50 percent chance of precipitation. Day time high is expected to reach 56 degrees and the night time lows almost normal at 43 degrees.
“As these waves start coming in, it will weaken the (high pressure) ridge,” said Henry. “But we still need a significant amount to touch the drought.”