Modesto temperatures about to do as the season says: fall

Valley residents know that the unofficial start of fall — Labor Day in early September — almost never signals cooler weather. Even the first day of autumn, Sept. 22, is met with a lot of “if only” wishfulness.

This year, we were teased by Mother Nature, who delivered several gorgeous days in mid-September. A high of 79 degrees on the 15th, then highs of 81, 83 and 82 before she turned up the thermostat again.

On that first fall day, the thermometer reached 93 in Modesto, and each day since has been in the 90s.

No more, though. Starting Friday, Modesto will be done with the 90s for at least a week, and hopefully for several months.

Friday’s high will be near 88 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. From there, it only gets better: near 79 Saturday, 78 Sunday, 77 Monday, 74 Tuesday and 75 Wednesday. There’s even a chance of showers Monday through Wednesday, if you consider that a plus.

According to the weather data compiled by Intellicast, which goes back to at least 1931, the days ahead are well below historical averages. It shows averages of 85 degrees for Sept. 28 and 29, 84 degrees for Sept. 30 through Oct. 2, and 83 degrees for Oct. 3.