REDDING, Calif. — Scorching temperatures marked Thursday and Friday across the Northstate, with many valley communities seeing their hottest day of the year twice in that span. If you’re anything like me, you didn’t necessarily love that heat, so you’ll be happy to hear we’re dropping things back a bit for the holiday weekend.
Classic anvil-shaped thunderstorms seen over the Sierra Crest near Redding. (Preston Donion)
Temperatures across Northern California will remain warm on Saturday, but no longer truly hot. Expect afternoon highs around 5-10 degrees above normal, meaning about 90 in the valley, mid to upper 80s in Trinity County, and upper 70s to about 80 elsewhere in the mountains. This is a notable improvement from Friday, and not the only one we’ll see: thunderstorm chances are also waning. Be on the watch for a few more weak storm cells over the Coastal Range and possibly the northern end of the Sierra Nevada, but not as much action as we saw to end the work week. The main concern with any cells that do form will be lightning, gusty winds, and locally heavy rain.
Precisioncast shows a few isolated storm cells popping up on Saturday afternoon. (KRCR)
Saturday and Sunday look almost identical to one another, with temperatures holding steady under largely sunny skies. Storm chances continue to trend down for the time being, meaning this might be your best day for a hike. As you get outdoors, though, don’t forget the sunscreen! The UV Index is expected to reach 8 to 9 in most communities, translating to a sunburn time of just 15 minutes.
Precisioncast reveals a sunnier Sunday across the board. (KRCR)
Memorial Day brings our first taste of a late season storm system, primarily along the North Coast. There, where weekend highs are stuck in the 50s thanks to stubborn low clouds, we’ll see continued cool temperatures and some afternoon rain Monday. Most other locations further inland will dodge showers until Monday evening at the very earliest, with mountain showers forecast to fall mainly on Tuesday instead. That means the main impact for places like Redding, Red Bluff and Chico is an increase in south winds and a decrease in temperatures (back to the upper 80s). Be fire smart in this breezy setup, and stay that way — winds continue through midweek.
Memorial Day will see wet weather push into the Pacific Northwest before reaching our own North Coast later into the afternoon. (KRCR)
For the latest on the slightly turbulent weekend and what lies beyond it, tune into our live broadcasts and download the free KRCR Weather app from your device’s app store.
The ten day forecast for Redding as of Saturday, May 23rd, 2026. (KRCR)
The ten day forecast for Chico as of Saturday, May 23rd, 2026. (KRCR)
