December 22, 2017
Summary: Temperatures this afternoon are anywhere from 2 to 6 degrees warmer than yesterday at this time while dew points are roughly the same, generally in the low to mid 30s. The exception is Kern County where the dew points at some locations are in the upper 20s. A large upper high is parked just off the Pacific coast and ridges into the Pacific Northwest. Lots of cloud cover is riding over the top of the high then diving southeastward into northern California. These clouds will be something of a wild card for tonight’s frost forecast. This is detailed below.
The winds aloft are becoming out of the west which will do an excellent job of blocking any additional Arctic air from moving into California. This flow is expected to continue through Christmas Day with chilly nights but with afternoon highs rising into the low to mid 60s. In fact, warmer locations may top the 60 degree mark Saturday with milder temperatures yet on Christmas Eve and Day.
Models hold little hope in a precipitation maker for the foreseeable future. It varies from model to model, but the bottom line is a blocking ridge will remain over and off the west coast, maintaining dry conditions through at least the first few days of 2018.
Forecast: Mostly clear to possibly partly cloudy at times through Sunday. Partly cloudy Sunday night and Christmas Day. Mostly clear Monday night through Friday with occasional periods of high clouds.
Short Term:
| Madera 28/59/29/61 | Reedley 28/58/29/61 | Dinuba 27/58/29/62 | |
| Porterville 28/60/29/63 | Lindsay 27/60/28/62 | Delano 29/61/29/62 | |
| Bakersfield 33/61/34/64 | Arvin 29/62/30/64 | Taft 32/62/34/65 | |
| Lamont 27/61/29/65 | Pixley 29/60/29/62 | Tulare 27/59/28/61 | |
| Woodlake 28/58/29/61 | Hanford 28/60/29/62 | Orosi 27/60/28/62 | |
Winds: Winds will be generally less than 10 MPH through Sunday with periods of near calm conditions through Christmas Day.
Rain: Expect dry conditions for at least the next seven to ten days.
Frost Information: Dew points this afternoon are running in the low to mid 30s at most locations with the exception of Kern County where dew points are in some cases down to the upper 20s. Air temperatures are up 2 to 6 degrees over what they were 24 hours ago. The wild card in tonight’s forecast are the high clouds streaming from northwest to southeast over the top of high pressure off shore down into northern California. Satellite imagery is showing that there’s a chance this cloud cover could move overhead during the course of the night, but the current trajectory would place most of the clouds from the Sierra Nevada east. With this in mind, I’m going to lean low for tonight’s forecast. Coldest unprotected river bottom and like locations will chill down to 25 to 26 degrees with most other locations between 27 and 32 and hillsides generally in the low to mid 30s.
The inversion tonight will be decent with temperatures at 34 feet anywhere from 4 to 8 degrees warmer.
Coldest locations will fall to 32 degrees by 9:00pm and 28 degrees between midnight and 2:00am. Temperatures won’t rise to above freezing until 8:30 or 9:00 Saturday morning.
Looking ahead to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, a rapidly moving and dry trough of low pressure will slide southward through the valley early Christmas morning. This may very well spread some cloud cover over the area, possibly modifying temperatures a bit. However, if skies remain relatively clear, readings will again fall to the 26 to 31 degree range.
Medium range outlooks going out to New Year’s show a strong ridge remaining in place for continued dry weather with little moisture on the valley floor. Add to that another cold air mass and temperatures will fall to the upper 20s to the mid 30s each morning next week.
Lows Tonight:
| Terra Bella
27 |
Porterville
28 |
Ivanhoe
28 |
Woodlake
28 |
| Strathmore
27 |
McFarland
26 |
Ducor
29 |
Tea Pot Dome
28 |
| Lindsay
27 |
Exeter
26 |
Famoso
28 |
Madera
29 |
| Belridge
27 |
Delano
29 |
North Bakersfield
29 |
Orosi
27 |
| Orange Cove
28 |
Lindcove
27 |
Lindcove hillside
33 |
Sanger River Bottom
24 |
| Root Creek
27 |
Venice Hill
28 |
Rosedale
29 |
Jasmine
28 |
| Arvin
29 |
Lamont
28 |
Plainview
28 |
Mettler
31 |
| Edison
30 |
Maricopa
29 |
Holland Creek
31 |
Tivy Valley
28 |
| Kite Road South
29 |
Kite Road North
27 |
Next Report: Saturday morning, December 23