April 17, 2018
Summary: After a rather stormy afternoon yesterday, skies cleared with the exception of much of Kern County and southeastern Tulare County which are covered with upslope clouds banking up against the valley facing slopes of the Tehachapi Mountains. As of 6:00am, Bakersfield was overcast at 4,000 feet while Porterville was reporting an overcast of 4,400 feet. Where it cleared last night, it was cold with many frost stations north of Kern County reporting readings in the mid to upper 30s with isolated pockets brushing with the 32 degree mark. The air aloft overnight was quite cold with a freezing level of 4,800 feet above Vandenberg and just 4,100 feet above Oakland. The cold pool of air associated with yesterday’s event will shift eastward today, allowing some warming. As weak high pressure builds overhead tonight and Wednesday, temperatures will begin to approach seasonal values.
That will not last long as a new low center from the Gulf of Alaska will move into northern California Wednesday afternoon and into central California Wednesday night and Thursday. This system is not nearly as strong as yesterday’s storm with anticipated precipitation mainly over the Sierra Nevada where lift will occur. It’s possible the valley floor north of Kern County could pick up a tenth of an inch, but most locations will record less than that to possibly nothing at all in the south valley.
A new pattern will set up Friday which will result in a rapid warming trend. Stronger high pressure will build in from the west, pushing temperatures into the upper 80s, possibly near 90 Sunday and Monday. The pattern for late Tuesday through Thursday of next week is still a bit inconclusive. Some models show a weak upper low over northern and central California, possibly producing showers over the Sierra Nevada, but for now it looks like the valley will remain dry but a bit cooler.
Forecast: Mostly clear through Wednesday morning with the exception of Kern County and southeastern Tulare County which will remain mostly cloudy this morning. Increasing high clouds this afternoon. Mostly cloudy Wednesday night and Thursday with a chance of light showers, mainly north of Kern County. Partly cloudy Thursday night and Friday morning. Becoming mostly clear Friday afternoon through Monday night with a warming trend. Partly cloudy Tuesday.
Short Term:
| Madera 65/40/71/45/66 | Reedley 65/41/70/46/65 | Dinuba 66/40/70/45/67 | |
| Porterville 65/41/69/45/65 | Lindsay 66/39/70/44/64 | Delano 67/44/71/45/66 | |
| Bakersfield 64/45/72/47/64 | Arvin 65/43/73/47/62 | Taft 67/46/73/48/65 | |
| Lamont 65/42/73/45/64 | Pixley 66/41/70/45/66 | Tulare 64/40/69/44/66 | |
| Woodlake 66/40/71/44/65 | Hanford 65/41/71/45/66 | Orosi 65/40/71/44/66 | |
Seven Day Forecast:
| Friday
Partly cloudy 40/70 |
Saturday
Mostly clear 51/81 |
Sunday
Mostly clear 54/87 |
Monday
Mostly clear 55/88 |
Tuesday
Partly cloudy 54/85 |
Two Week Outlook: April 24 through April 30: For the first time in a while, this model is indicating the development of a strong ridge over the Pacific and much of the western United States. This will revert us into a pattern resulting in above average temperatures with very little, if any, chance of precipitation.
March: Not much encouragement as far as rainfall is concerned as this model is indicating below average precipitation, especially over the second half of the month. So far, this model predicts near average temperatures.
March, April, May: The ninety-day outlook doesn’t exactly make one happy if rain is the desired outcome. It does show a better than average chance of above average temperatures, mainly due to high pressure off shore, and below average precipitation.
Winds: Winds will be generally at or less than 12 MPH through Wednesday with periods of near calm conditions, mainly tonight and Wednesday morning. Winds Wednesday night and Thursday will be out of the northwest at 10 to 20 MPH with local gusts to around 30 MPH, mainly in western Fresno County and much of Kings County. Winds Thursday night will be mainly out of the northwest at 5 to 10 MPH with generally light winds Friday through Sunday.
Rain: The next chance of precipitation will begin Wednesday night and continue through Thursday. This system will not be nearly as potent as yesterday’s event with most locations north of Kern County recording a tenth of an inch or less. In Kern County, a few hundredths are possible, but Kern County may also remain dry. Dry weather will commence Thursday night and continue for what appears to be indefinitely. I hedge just a little bit due to the fact that some models are showing a weak upper low in the vicinity of central California about the middle of next week. This would give a chance of showers to the Sierra Nevada, but until more evidence shows up, we’ll keep the forecast dry right through midweek and beyond.
Frost: All locations will be above 32 degrees.
Afternoon Dew Points Today: Mid to upper 30s. Kern: Low to mid 30s.
Afternoon Dew Points Today: Mid to upper 30s. Kern: Mid to upper 30s.
Humidity: Visalia: 30%/85% Bakersfield: 30%/75%
Actual Humidity April 15, 2018: Delano, 75%/14%, Porterville, 75%/16%
Percentage of Sunshine Today/Tomorrow: Visalia: Today: 80% tomorrow 60% Bakersfield: Today: 60% Tomorrow: 70%
ET Rates Over the Past Seven Days April 15, 2018: Stratford 1.55, Parlier 1.29, Blackwell 1.57 Lindcove 1.22, Arvin 1.42, Orange Cove 1.31, Porterville 1.33, Delano 1.34, Madera Two 1.24. Courtesy University of California *=estimate, NA=not available.
Seven Day Soil Temperatures: Stratford 63, Parlier 65, Blackwell 67, Lindcove, 64, Arvin, 64, Orange Cove 64, Porterville 67, Delano 69, Madera Two 64
Record Temperatures: 95/35. Average Temperatures: 75/47
Cooling Degree Days this Season: 27 +13 Courtesy of the NWS
Average temperatures for April so far, 64.2 +5.4
Precipitation: Seasonal total/average/above or below average:
Since October 1, 2017 Fresno: 6.40 season. or -3.86. Month to Date: .31
Since October 1, 2017, Bakersfield: 3.86, or -2.02, Month to Date: .13
Water year season is from October 1st through September.
Chilling Hours November 1st through February 28: Orange Cove, Parlier, Arvin, Shafter, Stratford, Madera two, Lindcove, Porterville, Hours at 45 or below 45.
Sunrise: 6:22 am Sunset: 7:35 pm. Hours of Daylight: 13:10
Yesterday’s Weather:
MAE : Madera 253 : DH1700 / 61 / 44 / 0.23 /
FAT : Fresno Airport 333 : DH1700 / 63 / 47 / 0.26 /
HJO : Hanford Airport 242 : DH1700 / 65 / 49 / 0.06 /
NLC : Lemoore Naval AS 234 : DH1700 / 63 / 49 / T /
BFL : Bakersfield Airport 496 : DH1700 / 67 / 53 / T /
VIS : Visalia Airport 292 : DH1700 / 62 / 48 / 0.05 /
ATEC1 : Avenal 787 : DH1653 / 62 / 44 / 0.00 /
PTV : Porterville Airport 442 : DH1700 / 63 / 45 / 0.10 /
TFTC1 : Taft 759 : DH1653 / 63 / 50 / 0.00 /
LOSC1 : Los Banos 120 : DH1600 / 59 / 51 / T /
Rainfall
STOCKTON 0.22 8.99 70 21.26 166 12.77 14.06
MODESTO 0.36 7.93 68 16.41 140 11.69 13.11
MERCED 0.13 6.88 62 15.41 139 11.06 12.50
MADERA 0.23 7.18 68 14.04 132 10.63 12.02
FRESNO 0.26 6.66 65 16.83 164 10.29 11.50
HANFORD 0.06 4.62 52 10.21 114 8.94 10.10
BAKERSFIELD T 3.86 65 7.43 126 5.90 6.47
BISHOP 0.00 1.13 27 8.79 208 4.22 5.18
SALINAS 0.28 7.13 60 16.21 137 11.86 12.83
PASO ROBLES 0.04 9.62 81 15.74 132 11.93 12.78
SANTA MARIA 0.08 5.83 45 17.10 131 13.07 13.95
Next report: Wednesday, April 18