Weekend looking sunny, pleasant for Modesto area

As National Weather Service meteorologists in Sacramento said it would, the weekend forecast for the Valley has changed a bit.

On Monday, the NWS office said its forecasting confidence for the weekend was “very low” because two computer models were predicting much different weather. One said warm and sunny, the other cooler and possibly rainy. The message was, “stay tuned.”

A couple of days later, the outlook is dry for both Saturday and Sunday, with any rain coming as early as Thursday. Sunday also could be nearly 10 degrees cooler than Saturday.

Several areas saw spots of rain Wednesday. The forecast for Thursday is mostly cloudy, with a high near 79 and a 20 percent chance of showers. That chance rises to 40 percent after 11 tonight.

That 40 percent chance of showers continues through late Thursday morning. After that, the day should be partly sunny, with a high near 75. Rain is expected to be less than a 10th of an inch.

Friday should warm up a bit, with a high near 82 and a sunny sky. It should be sunny and warmer still on Saturday – a high near 85.

Sunday is predicted to be mostly sunny, but a high near only 76.

All in all, it’s a great forecast for a Saturday that holds in store the International Heritage Festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Modesto Junior College East Campus, Pistol Pete’s third annual Car Show for Autism at the Masonic Center, 800 Rose Ave., from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and a Car Show & Halloween Fun set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Home Depot at 1617 Carpenter Road.

Sunday brings the Peace Officer Memorial Run, which begins at 8 a.m. 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 30, 2015 at 7:40 AM with the headline "Weekend looking sunny, pleasant for Modesto area."