Autumn weather (and leaf season) finally are here

After one of the hottest Octobers on record, it suddenly feels like the appropriate season (at least for a few days).

According to the National Weather Service, a fast-moving storm will give all of Northern California a deep soaking this weekend. By Saturday night, Sacramento is expected to receive .5 to 1 inch of rain (mostly overnight), with more in the foothills. In the Sierra, snow is forecast above 6,000 feet.

By Monday, we’ll be back to sunny skies – and higher temperatures. Sacramento should see afternoon highs in the low to mid 70s throughout the coming week.

That’s actually on the warm side. November in Sacramento averages highs of 64 degrees and lows of 43. As for rain, November starts our soggy season (fingers crossed), averaging just over 2 inches.

It’s a big contrast to our just-completed October, which saw a 35-degree swing in high temperatures (and almost no precipitation). Oct. 1 hit 102 degrees in Sacramento; the high on Halloween was only 67.

Such warm weather prolonged growth on many summer plants. (My remaining tomato vines are still blooming.) Those warm-weather remainders may start fading fast.

With nights now dipping into the 40s, expect to see fall foliage coloring up in a hurry – and leaves starting to come down in bushels. Leaf season has arrived.

In the City of Sacramento, leaf season officially begins Monday with the start of in-street pickup of leaves and garden waste. Before it wraps up in January, residents can expect “The Claw” – the city’s specialized leaf-scooping tractor – to visit your street seven times.

For pick-up schedule in your neighborhood, go to: https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/public-works/recycling-solid-waste/Collectionservices/Leaf_Season

For Sacramento weather updates: https://www.weather.gov/sto/