The days of sweat-soaked forecasts appear to be winding down for Fresno, and we can thank a couple of weather system disturbances that are letting cooler marine air invade the Valley.

“We are seeing pretty much about a five, almost 10-degree cooling from where we were earlier this week and last weekend,” National Weather Service meteorologist Carlos Molina said Thursday morning.

Last weekend’s triple-digit temperatures may be the last ones we see until next year, Molina said.

The disturbance that lowered temperatures this week was centered farther north in California and sparked windy conditions over the Tehachapis and upper Mojave Desert Thursday morning that was expected to die down Thursday afternoon, he said.

A slight warm-up is forecast for Friday and Saturday, with the high in Fresno of 94 on Saturday, but the arrival of a weather system aimed at Central California will lower daytime highs and overnight lows, Molina said.

That system could bring some light rain overnight Monday and early Tuesday to the Valley, thunderstorms to the Sierra Monday afternoon, and as much as 3 to 5 inches of snow in Yosemite’s High Sierra above 8,000 and 9,000 feet, plus overnight temperatures in the mid-20s, he said.

No More Triple-Digit Temps

Strong winds will also return as the cooler weather in the Valley pushes against the warmer desert temperatures, he said.

Molina says the chances are good that daytime highs in the Fresno area won’t climb any higher than the 90s through the end of September and into October.

“It’s almost 100% that we’re pretty much out of the heat waves or actually having temperatures reach 100,” he said. “Especially now that we’re in mid- to late September.”

The Forecast

The forecast for the Fresno area is a high of 86 Thursday and overnight low of 62, a high Friday of 92 and overnight low of 64, a high Saturday of 94 and overnight low of 64, and a high Sunday of 87 and overnight low of 57.

After that, the forecast calls for a high of 76 Monday and overnight low of 55, a high Tuesday of 82 and overnight low of 61, a high Wednesday of 81 and overnight low of 60, and a high next Thursday of 83.