Sunday was an unusual summer day for much of Central and Southern California, bringing clouds and even sparse rain showers across much of the state as a monsoon was full steam ahead.
The North American monsoon – a weather pattern that invites tropical moisture into the region during the summer months – doesn’t always make its way all the way to Central and Northern California. The fact that is has is a sign of the strength of the weather pattern. That pattern is pointing towards some seriously hot temperatures later this week amid lingering chances for rain.
Sparse showers Monday and Tuesday, mostly for the Sierra
As the monsoonal moisture continues to arrive from the south, folks across Central California will find themselves under more occasional clouds as the moisture condenses higher in the atmosphere. These clouds will linger across the Central Valley through Monday and Tuesday morning before slowly lifting to the Sierra later Tuesday afternoon.
That moisture be seen in the clouds, and it will be felt too. Water, whether as a vapor or a liquid, holds heat quite well. Because of this extra humidity, low temperatures will be noticeably higher than usual over the next several days. For Sacramento and Modesto, low temperatures in the upper 60s are a stark departure from the mid- to upper 50s as of late, and folks in these areas will feel a need to use the air conditioning more overnight. Meanwhile, low temps in Fresno and the San Joaquin Valley up in the mid-70s…