Weekend Temperatures Soar To Triple Digits
By 11 a.m. Friday, temperatures across northern California had already risen into the 80s -- even hitting 90 degrees in the foothills -- and this is just the beginning of a sweltering couple of days.
Valley high temperatures will soar to between 100 and 105 degrees Friday afternoon, likely tying or even breaking record highs.
A dominant ridge of high pressure overhead will keep things from cooling off much overnight. Low temperatures in the upper 60s mean those AC units will be working overtime.
Saturday is shaping up to be an even hotter day as the mercury soars to between 105 and 110 degrees. It's likely that downtown Sacramento's record high temperature of 103 degrees set in 1973 will be broken.
The combination of these high temperatures with low relative humidity and dry gusty winds means an increased fire threat this weekend, especially across the northern Sacramento Valley. A red flag warning is in effect for the northern Sacramento Valley and the northern Sierra foothills from 2 p.m. Friday through 5 p.m. Saturday. Any fires that do start would likely spread rapidly; outdoor burning is not recommended.
The high pressure ridge makes an abrupt exit on Sunday, allowing temperatures to fall back into the upper 80s. There's a slight chance that some mountain thunderstorm activity may drift into the valley on Sunday.
