Despite rain, wildfire risks and high temperatures persist in Redding, Siskiyou County
Some North State residents woke up to a surprise Thursday morning when light mountain rain hit the Sacramento Valley floor.
Unfortunately, there wasn't enough rainfall to register on gauges in most of Shasta County, to reduce fire concerns or cancel heat warnings.
“I wish I could say that were the case,” said meteorologist Eric Kurth at the National Weather Service in Sacramento.
Rain fell in Redding and other spots in Shasta and Siskiyou counties on Thursday, Kurth said.
Forecasts were for dry thunderstorms in the mountains mid-week, the weather service said on Monday. For rain not to evaporate before it hit the valley floor was a longshot.
On Thursday morning in Shasta County:
Redding Municipal Airport recorded it received a trace of rain.
Lake Shasta received 1/100th of an inch.
Sugarloaf on Highway 5 near Lakehead got 1/100th of an inch.
Burney got "a few drops," Kurth said.
In Siskiyou County, places in and around wildfires, including the McKinney Fire burn area, got some rain, the weather service said.
Scott Bar got 1/16th of an inch of rain.
Parts of the Klamath National Forest got a "few drops."
Indian Creek west of Happy Camp got almost an inch.
Yreka got 1/10th of an inch.
Denny Point near Fort Jones got an inch.
Thunderstorms were expected to roll in Thursday night, but it's dry the rest of the week, Kurth said. What rain did fall won't significantly reduce fire risk in the North State.
Dry weekend on way for Shasta, Siskiyou counties
Instead of cooling things down, the clouds that rolled in over Redding on Wednesday evening bottled in daytime heat, making the night hotter, Kurth said. The weather service extended this week's heat advisory until Saturday evening, from Redding in the north to Merced in the south.
Temperatures in Redding were expected to reach 107 degrees on Thursday, 108 degrees on Friday, 107 on Saturday and 100 on Sunday. Triple-digit heat breaks early next week, dropping to 98 degrees on Monday, then creeps up again. By Thursday, temperatures are back up to 104 degrees.
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In Siskiyou County, a red flag warning in effect earlier this week isn't likely to be extended, said meteorologist Jay Stockton at the National Weather Service in Medford. Cloudy skies will keep temperatures in the mountains cooler on Thursday. That will cut back on the number of thunderstorms. Storms that do form should be wetter than Wednesday's, hopefully reducing risk of fire starts from dry lightning. Wet thunderstorms on Thursday dry up by Friday.
Daytime temperatures in Mount Shasta are expected to reach 91 degrees on Thursday, 94 degrees on Friday, 96 on Saturday and 92 on Sunday.
Temperatures in Yreka will reach 94 degrees on Thursday, 95 on Friday, 97 on Saturday and 95 on Sunday.
Winds pick up slightly on Sunday, but are calm other days, Stockton said.
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Dry conditions continue next week, he said.
On Monday, daytime high temperatures cool to 90 degrees in Yreka, 88 degrees in Mount Shasta.
On Tuesday, temperatures reach 94 in Yreka, 91 in Mount Shasta.
The Siskiyou County Health and Human Services Agency published a list of cooling centers and their open hours at bit.ly/3c2VOyF.
Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and entertainment stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Despite rain in Redding, Siskiyou County, heat advisory remains
