Forecast wind gusts Friday, Aug. 14, at 8 p.m. as a strong Delta breeze pushes well inland.
Sacramento Bee
As kids head back to school, this might feel like final summer weekend to get outdoors.
Last weekend was of course just a bit too hot for some, with high temperatures well above 100 degrees. This weekend? A complete pattern shift. High temps will hold in the 80s — well below average for August — every day this weekend thanks to lower pressure and a powerful Delta breeze.
In the wake of an upper-level trough — lower pressure through the upper atmosphere — that brought clouds over the Central Valley on Wednesday and some storms to the Sierra Thursday, winds along the coast are now being directed onshore with force as the atmosphere works to fill in the gap left from midweek.
Some of this westerly breeze will force its way through the Bay Area and across the Delta as a notably boosted Delta breeze. If you have not felt the Delta breeze in a while, step outside anytime after 7 p.m. these next few days around Sacramento or Modesto — you will surely feel it. Winds could gust more than 25 mph across the Delta region around sunset Friday, and continue into the early morning hours bringing much cooler low temperatures in the 50s through the weekend and into early next week.
Sacramento Bee 
Sacramento Bee A thick marine layer brings morning fog
The consistent onshore winds over the weekend will also result is a strong and stubborn marine layer. For near the coast this weekend, a thick layer of clouds and fog can be expected.
The marine layer could be so strong in fact that it may make it all the way into the Central Valley near Sacramento and Stockton both Friday and Saturday morning — brought by the intense Delta breeze the evening before. Any fog here would be expected to quickly burn off after 9 a.m.
Forecast cloud cover the morning of Saturday, Aug. 15. Some marine layer fog could make its way into the Central Valley in the early morning. Sacramento Bee
Afternoons across the Central Valley will still be more sunny than not this weekend, but the early morning fog and clouds will be a glimpse into the weather to come over the next several months.
A touch of warmth next week, but it’s no heat wave
The upper atmosphere will self-correct next week, but only some. A stray cut-off low, a large eddy of low pressure in the upper atmosphere along the jet stream, is possible mid-next week and would bring cooler temps and plenty of clouds to the region. These cut-off lows can be finicky, so don’t count on clouds on Tuesday or Wednesday next week, but know that the weather is looking more cooperative for outdoor plans.
The Sacramento Bee
Sean Macaday covers the weather for McClatchy Media in California. Originally from Chicago, Sean worked 6 years covering the weather on local television in Minnesota. He holds a bachelor’s degree in meteorology and marine science from the University of Miami.