February 3, 2018
Summary: Strong upper level high pressure is anchored just off shore with a ridge extending northward into the Pacific Northwest. All the energy over the Pacific Ocean rides up over the top of this high then moves inland, mainly into British Columbia then dives southward into the Rockies and from there the middle of the country. In the meantime, the warm air aloft is sealing in the valley with a warm air inversion, leaving visibilities this afternoon at anywhere from two and a half to five miles. Bakersfield and Porterville, as of 1:00pm, have already eclipsed the 70 degree mark with many other locations in the upper 60s.
A weak upper air disturbance will race southward through the Great Basin Tuesday, but it won’t affect central California other than to lower temperatures by about one to three degrees. In the meantime, the high will build further north into southern Alaska and the Yukon Territory. On Friday, a low will race southward from western Canada and into northern California Friday night then into central California Saturday and southern California Sunday. Typically, these types of systems are dry other than the threat of a few showers over the high Sierra.
We will have to watch as colder air dives southward behind this system for a possible cooler and drier air mass. For now, I’m not calling for a frost threat later next weekend and beyond, but it is a pattern we will have to closely watch. I keep waiting for medium range models to give us some hope of rain, but the latest ones to come across my desk this afternoon show little indication of removing the blocking ridge off shore.
Forecast: Mostly clear and hazy with occasional high clouds through Wednesday. There will continue to be areas of dense fog during the late night through mid morning hours, mainly north of Delano and up the center of the valley. Mostly clear skies will continue Wednesday night through Friday with patchy morning fog, becoming partly cloudy Friday night and Saturday.
Short Term:
| Madera 40/72/41/71 | Reedley 40/72/40/70 | Dinuba 39/71/41/69 | |
| Porterville 40/74/41/71 | Lindsay 39/73/40/70 | Delano 43/74/43/71 | |
| Bakersfield 46/75/48/72 | Arvin 43/75/43/72 | Taft 51/74/51/73 | |
| Lamont 44/74/44/72 | Pixley 41/73/42/72 | Tulare 39/71/40/70 | |
| Woodlake 42/73/41/71 | Hanford 40/73/42/71 | Orosi 40/73/40/70 | |
Winds: Winds will be generally less than 10 MPH through Tuesday with near calm conditions nights and mornings.
Rain: Expect dry weather for the next week and possibly ten days.
Next Report: Sunday morning, February 4