December 4, 2017
Summary: There are two high centers which are having a direct impact on our weather. The first is a building high over the Pacific Northwest. It extends southward into southern California and will cause a ridge to be built northward into western Canada over the next 48 hours. In the meantime, surface high pressure is centered over southeast Oregon, extending southward into the Great Basin. All of this means we will have a northeast flow aloft and a rather robust off shore flow which has mixed out the pocket of cloud cover that was evident early this morning over Tulare County and southern Fresno County. Bottom line is: skies will be generally clear tonight, leading to strong radiational cooling. Dew points have already fallen into the low to mid 30s. some stations on the west side are reporting dew points in the upper 20s.
All of the short and medium range models indicate a strong ridge of upper level high pressure will continue to be in place for the remainder of the week, trapping a cold layer of dry air on the valley floor. This pattern will also block any chance of precipitation for the foreseeable future. In fact, models going out through the middle of the month continue to point to dry conditions.
Forecast: Mostly clear skies through Friday. Mostly clear skies will continue Friday night through Monday.
Short Term:
| Madera 25/57/25/60 | Reedley 26/57/25/61 | Dinuba 26/57/25/60 | |
| Porterville 26/58/26/61 | Lindsay 24/57/24/60 | Delano 27/58/27/62 | |
| Bakersfield 32/60/31/64 | Arvin 25/59/25/64 | Taft 31/60/32/64 | |
| Lamont 28/60/28/65 | Pixley 26/57/26/61 | Tulare 25/57/25/61 | |
| Woodlake 25/57/25/59 | Hanford 26/58/26/62 | Orosi 25/57/25/60 | |
Winds: Winds will be less than10 MPH with periods of near calm conditions through Thursday.
Rain: Expect dry weather for at least the next seven to ten days.
Frost Information: One model places Porterville tonight at 28 degrees while others indicate a low of 27, which seems reasonable considering the way the elements are stacking up. Dew points have fallen into the low to mid 30s this afternoon with some locations on the west side reporting dew points in the upper 20s. This is a good indication of dry air mixing down to the valley floor which will lead to a freeze tonight and over the next few nights.
The pocket of cloud cover from earlier this morning has dissipated, leading to clear skies. There is a big batch of high clouds off the southern California coast, but that big high to our north will not allow these clouds to move into the region and over the valley.
Coldest overnight lows tonight should drop to 23 to 25 with most typical flatland terrain dropping to between 26 and 28 degrees. Typical warm spots such as hillsides will be in the lower 30s.
The inversion tonight will start off rather weak, but should tighten up a bit during the early morning hours with temperatures at 34 feet being 2 to 5 degrees warmer.
Looking ahead to Wednesday through Friday, subfreezing weather will continue with very similar conditions Wednesday morning. There may be a degree or two of warming, at best, Thursday, and ditto that for Friday.
High pressure will drive daytime highs well into the 60s later this week and may start dragging up overnight lows by the weekend, although many locations will still be below freezing. Next week looks high and dry with mild afternoons but good radiational cooling each night for below freezing temperatures in at least some locations.
Lows Tonight:
| Terra Bella
26 |
Porterville
26 |
Ivanhoe
25 |
Woodlake
26 |
| Strathmore
26 |
McFarland
27 |
Ducor
25 |
Tea Pot Dome
26 |
| Lindsay
24 |
Exeter
25 |
Famoso
26 |
Madera
25 |
| Belridge
26 |
Delano
28 |
North Bakersfield
28 |
Orosi
25 |
| Orange Cove
26 |
Lindcove
25 |
Lindcove Hillside
31 |
Sanger River Bottom
23 |
| Root Creek
24 |
Venice Hill
26 |
Rosedale
28 |
Jasmine
26 |
| Arvin
26 |
Lamont
29 |
Plainview
25 |
Mettler
30 |
| Edison
27 |
Maricopa
30 |
Holland Creek
29 |
Tivy Valley
26 |
| Kite Road South
28 |
Kite Road North
26 |
Next Report: Tuesday morning/December 5