Say goodbye to Indian summer – wet weather approaching

It's time to bust out the umbrellas and jackets — rain is on the way.

A dramatic shift in weather is forecast for this week, with a 30-degree temperature drop expected between this coming Wednesday and a week ago.

Two weather disturbances are moving through, the first of which will be a weak system late today into early Tuesday and then a more severe system Wednesday afternoon that's expected to bring an inch of rain to the valley and several inches of snow in the mountain passes, said Darren Van Cleave, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

"Right now the system looks pretty juicy and like we will get a fair amount of rain over it," Van Cleave said. "This track that (the systems) are taking is something you'd expect to see later in the fall. They are anomalous for this time of year."

The strong storm dropping out of the Gulf of Alaska will move down the West Coast and into California, and the 60-degree highs and 40-degree lows expected with it are about 10 degrees below normal, Van Cleave said.

However, last week's high of 93 degrees Wednesday was also 5 degrees to 10 degrees warmer than usual.

This storm will bring the first significant amount of rain to the area since June 28, although there was 0.03-inch recorded on Sept. 25.

The weather is expected to dry out in the valley by Thursday morning.

The anticipated storms are worrisome news for Yuba-Sutter farmers.

"With the late spring and harvest pushed back, there are still a lot of nuts to be harvested," said Franz Niederholzer, farm adviser with the University of California Cooperative Extension in Yuba-Sutter. "They're talking a lot of rain (this) week — that's going to be a real challenge for growers to try to not get their nuts rehydrated."

Prune and peach harvest should mostly be done, but many rice farmers are drying out their fields in preparation for harvest. In addition, there are still sunflowers, processing tomatoes, melons and other commodities waiting to be picked.

"Rain as harvest approaches is not good for anybody, although walnut growers might relish a little moisture to help crack the hulls," Niederholzer said.

The change in weather may also cause delays to area road projects.

Yuba City is completing final striping, traffic signal installation and median landscaping for the Queens Avenue and Highway 99 improvements, and Caltrans is in the middle of a $5.3 million project to resurface six miles of Highway 20 from the 10th Street bridge to Township Road.

Van Cleave cautioned motorists to practice safe driving habits with the change in weather.

"The first rain after a prolonged period of dry weather tends to bring the oil up out of the roads and make for slick driving conditions, so we just want people to be aware of that," he said.

Gusty winds could cause fallen leaves and debris to clog storm drains and create localized street flooding, and some power outages could occur if branches or small trees fall and damage power lines.

CONTACT reporter Ashley Gebb at 749-4783.