Weather Discussion for Monday, Feb. 28, 2011:
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This morning’s satellite picture shows a storm system moving into the Pacific Northwest with the southern end dragging across Northern California. This is not a major precipitation producer and most of the precip will in the coastal and northern mountains, with light amounts in the Sacramento Valley and Modoc, Lassen, and Plumas counties. Snow levels will be 2,000 to 3,000 feet in the north and 4,000 feet to the south. Tuesday will be partly cloudy to partly sunny and then the clouds and wind will begin to increase Tuesday night.
The map below for Wednesday shows the cold low pressure area still off the coast of Canada with the jetstream split well out in the Pacific and the southern and northern branches coming back together just off the coast. The southern branch will merge warmer, moister air with the cold air from the northern branch. The result will be a fairly strong storm moving across Northern California late Tuesday through early Thursday. This system will bring moderate to heavy precipitation to the area and very strong south winds. Wind gusts of 45 to 50 mph are possible in the Sacramento Valley, with gusts 60 to 65 mph over the higher elevations to the north and east of the valley. Snow levels will be 3,000 to 4,000 feet in the north and 4,000 to 5,000 feet to the south in Plumas county. The northern Sacramento Valley will pick up over an inch of rain, with heavier amounts in the mountains. We will have a break between systems from midday Thursday through midday Saturday. The next storm should spread rain and snow over the area late Saturday and Sunday.
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Weather Outlook for Redding, Shasta Lake City, Anderson, Cottonwood, and Red Bluff
Today: Cloudy with light rain. Max temps 47 to 51. South wind 10 to 20 mph. Tonight: Cloudy with rain ending by midnight. Min temps 38 to 46. Light wind. Tuesday: Sunny with a few clouds in the morning then increasing clouds in the afternoon. Max temps 54 to 58. South wind 12 to 22 mph by late afternoon. Tuesday Night: Cloudy with rain. Min temps 42 to 48. South wind 15 to 25 mph gusts 35 to 40 mph. Wednesday: Cloudy with rain heavy at times. Max temp 48 to 53. South wind 18 to 28 mph gusts 45 to 50 mph decreasing in the afternoon. Wednesday Night: Cloudy with showers. Min temps 40 to 45. South wind 10 to 20 mph. . Thursday: Cloudy with showers ending in the morning then partly cloudy in the afternoon. . Max temp 51 to 56. Light wind. Thursday Night: Partly cloudy. Min temps 39 to 44. Light wind. Friday: Sunny with a few clouds. Max temps 58 to 62. Light wind. Friday Night: Clear with few clouds. Min temps 40 to 46. Light wind. Saturday: Increasing clouds in the afternoon. Max temps 54 to 59. South wind 8 to 18 mph. Saturday Night: Cloudy with rain. Min temps 41 to 47. South wind 10 to 20 mph. Sunday: Cloudy with rain. Max temps 47 to 52. South wind 15 to 25 mph. Sunday Night: Partly cloudy with showers. Min temps 40 to 46. Light wind.
–The Old Forecaster
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Chris Fontana — a.k.a. “the Old Forecaster” — started his career as a meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Sacramento. After four years as a weather officer in the USAF he transferred to the NWS office in Redding. He was the meteorologist in charge of the Redding office from 1976 until it closed in 1996. From 1996 until his retirement in 2005, he was the meteorologist in charge of the USFS Predictive Service Unit. Chris and his wife Jane have been married over 40 years and he works as a window covering installer in her business, Westwood Window Coverings.
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