Weekend weather for Valley up in the air, forecasters say
One thing is certain: There’s a great amount of outdoor fun scheduled for this weekend in the Modesto area. Saturday brings two car shows, the International Heritage Festival and the Modesto Certified Farmers Market, while Sunday begins with the fourth annual Peace Officer Memorial Run.
Less certain is what the weather will be. The National Weather Service’s seven-day forecast online says the weekend will be sunny, with a high near 86 Saturday and near 81 Sunday. But the Sacramento office sent out an update Monday afternoon saying those days could be “potentially much cooler with showers that may impact weekend events.”
“For this coming weekend, our confidence is very low, as our computer models are forecasting much different forecasts,” the update says. “One scenario has very warm conditions returning and the other much cooler, breezy, with showers. Since it is the weekend, likely many folks have plans. Our advice to you is to check back later this week to see and keep a close eye on the forecast. The difference in temperatures for the Valley could be a high in the lower 90s vs. highs in the lower 70s.”
Meteorologist Nathan Owen said it’s not unusual here or across the nation for forecasting models to disagree when they’re looking at the tail end of a seven-day forecast. “It’s really far out into the future,” he said. “Generally as the (weather) system gets closer, the models get in better agreement. ... The main message is stay tuned.”
One of the car shows Saturday is Pistol Pete’s third annual Car Show for Autism at the Masonic Center, 800 Rose Ave. It runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and includes vendor booths, music and food. The other is the Car Show & Halloween Fun set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Home Depot at 1617 Carpenter Road. It includes free hot dogs, face painting and a kids workshop.
Also Saturday, the International Heritage Festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Modesto Junior College East Campus. The free celebration has cultural music and dance, booths, kids activities, food vendors and more.
And the farmers market is open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on 16h Street between H and I streets.
Sunday at 8 a.m. is go time for the Peace Officer Memorial Run, which begins at the Gallo Center for the Arts, 1000 I St. It includes a half-marathon, 5k run, kids fun run, race expo and safety fair.
This story was originally published September 28, 2015 at 3:13 PM with the headline "Weekend weather for Valley up in the air, forecasters say."