732  
FXUS66 KSTO 041927  
AFDSTO  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA  
1227 PM PDT MON MAY 4 2026  
 
FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS ON WEATHER AND EXPECTED IMPACTS OVER THE  
NEXT 7 DAYS, PLEASE VISIT WEATHER.GOV/STO/BRIEFING.  
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
 
- WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. BEST  
CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS EXIST OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND  
FOOTHILLS.  
 
- COOLER TEMPERATURES AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES LINGER INTO  
TUESDAY, WITH DRYING CONDITIONS MIDWEEK.  
 
- HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP END OF THE WEEK  
AND INTO NEXT WEEKEND, WITH MINOR AND MODERATE HEATRISK  
 
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
   
..TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY  
 
LATEST RADAR SHOWS SCATTERED SHOWERS MOVING OVER THE AREA THIS  
AFTERNOON. PRECIPITATION WILL BE GENERALLY LIGHT BUT THERE MAY BE  
A FEW POCKETS OF MODERATE RAINFALL AT TIMES. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES  
RETURN THIS AFTERNOON, WITH THE HIGHEST LIKELIHOOD (20-25%)OVER  
THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS, HOWEVER A FEW ISOLATED CELLS MOVING  
INTO THE VALLEY CANNOT BE RULED OUT. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL  
ACCUMULATIONS OF 0.25 TO 0.75 INCHES ARE EXPECTED OVER THE  
CENTRAL/SOUTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY AND FOOTHILLS, WITH 0.75 TO  
1.50 INCHES OVER THE SIERRA THROUGH TUESDAY. SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 50  
THERE WILL BE CHANCES FOR SNOW THROUGH TUESDAY, WITH MINOR  
ACCUMULATIONS 2 TO 5 INCHES ALONG THE HIGHEST PEAKS. SNOW LEVELS  
ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN ABOVE 8000 FEET.  
 
LINGERING SHOWERS WILL MOVE OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS ON  
TUESDAY, WITH A 10-15% CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IN THE  
AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING. TEMPERATURES THROUGH TUESDAY WILL BE ON  
THE COOLER SIDE ACROSS THE AREA, WITH HIGHS IN THE 70S ON TUESDAY.  
 
   
..WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY  
 
CONDITIONS DRY OUT AS WE MOVE INTO WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUE INTO  
THE WEEKEND. ENSEMBLES CONTINUE TO FAVOR UPPER LEVEL RIDGING  
BUILDING OVER THE WESTERN UNITED STATES LATE THIS WEEK AND INTO  
EARLY NEXT WEEK. TEMPERATURES GRADUALLY WARM THROUGH MIDWEEK,  
CLIMBING WELL ABOVE-NORMAL BY THE WEEKEND. MINOR HEATRISK IS  
EXPECTED ACROSS THE VALLEY WEDNESDAY, BUT BECOMES MORE WIDESPREAD  
INTO THE FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS BY THE END OF THE WEEK. AREAS OF  
MODERATE HEATRISK ARE EXPECTED IN THE VALLEY BY SATURDAY,  
EXPANDING TO INCLUDE THE FOOTHILLS BY THE WEEKEND. THE NBM  
CURRENTLY INDICATES A 70-95% CHANCE OF HIGH TEMPERATURES GREATER  
THAN 90 DEGREES IN THE VALLEY SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. BE SURE TO  
HYDRATE AND PRACTICE HEAT SAFETY.  
 
MINIMUM RH VALUES TREND LOWER THROUGH THE WEEK AS WELL, DROPPING  
INTO THE 20S AND TEENS BY THE WEEKEND. THIS WILL COINCIDE WITH A  
PERIOD OF BREEZY NORTH WINDS THAT DEVELOPS ON SATURDAY WHICH COULD  
LEAD TO ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS IN THE CENTRAL SACRAMENTO  
VALLEY. FORECAST GUSTS ARE BETWEEN 15 AND 25 MPH.  
 
LOOKING INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK, MODELS ARE ALREADY HINTING AT THE  
POTENTIAL FOR TRIPLE DIGIT TEMPERATURES AS RIDING AMPLIFIES OVER  
THE REGION. CURRENTLY, THE NBM INDICATES A 50 TO 70% CHANCE OF  
100 OR GREATER IN THE NORTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AND PORTIONS OF  
THE CENTRAL SACRAMENTO VALLEY NEXT MONDAY.  
 
 
 
   
AVIATION  
 
AREAS OF MVFR/LOCAL IFR CONDITIONS IN SHOWERS, ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS,  
AND/OR LOW CEILINGS THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. CONDITIONS WILL  
GRADUALLY IMPROVE IN THE VALLEY BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  
LINGERING MOUNTAIN SHOWERS OR ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY  
AFTERNOON, MAINLY OVER THE NORTHERN SIERRA AND SOUTHERN CASCADES.  
GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS NEAR THUNDERSTORMS. OTHERWISE, SURFACE  
WINDS GENERALLY 12 KTS OR LESS.  
 
 
   
STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
NONE.  
 
 
 
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