April 27, 2018
Summary: A full blown invasion of marine air into the valley is underway. The inland push of the sea breeze has formed a bank of low level clouds over the west facing slopes of the Sierra Nevada from Tulare county northward. Temperatures have also lowered a great deal compared to what they were yesterday at this time. Most locations are down from 3 to 11 degrees. Low pressure is just off the Oregon/northern California coast this morning and will slowly move east/northeast into Oregon on Saturday and Sunday, eventually forming a trough which will stretch from the Pacific Northwest down into southern California.
Once we get into the Monday night to Tuesday time frame, things get trickier. There is the possibility of a new low forming just off the Oregon coast. It’s projected to rapidly move southward into southern California by Tuesday. This would result in the likelihood of showers over the mountain areas and I wouldn’t rule out light showers over the valley floor, mainly Tuesday. For now, the chance looks quite low, but something worth mentioning.
Pressures are now becoming lower over the interior than off the northern and central California coast. This will not only drive more marine air inland, but will also create conditions necessary for northwesterly winds to move down the valley today through at least Tuesday. Local gusts to 30 MPH are possible at times along the west side with winds in the 10 to 30 MPH range at times elsewhere. Temperatures will also take a nosedive from the low 90s Wednesday to the low to mid 70s today through Tuesday.
Models continue to indicate a ridge of upper level high pressure will build by Wednesday then will push into the western U.S. next week for dry weather with a warming trend.
Forecast: Mostly clear to occasionally partly cloudy through Monday. Variable cloudiness Monday night and Tuesday with a chance of light showers. Partly cloudy Tuesday night. Becoming mostly clear Wednesday through Friday.
Short Term:
| Madera 75/45/74/44/75 | Reedley 77/46/76/46/76 | Dinuba 76/46/75/45/75 | |
| Porterville 77/45/76/44/75 | Lindsay 77/46/76/45/76 | Delano 77/49/76/48/75 | |
| Bakersfield 78/50/75/51/75 | Arvin 78/49/75/48/75` | Taft 77/55/75/52/75 | |
| Lamont 78/49/77/48/76 | Pixley 78/47/76/46/75 | Tulare 76/47/75/45/75 | |
| Woodlake 77/45/77/44/76 | Hanford 77/46/75/45/75 | Orosi 77/45/75/45/75 | |
Seven Day Forecast:
| Monday
PM showers possible 48/73 |
Tuesday
Slight chance of showers 50/70 |
Wednesday
Mostly clear 47/78 |
Thursday
Mostly clear 52/83` |
Friday
Mostly clear 55/87 |
Two Week Outlook: May 2 through May 8: This model is redeveloping a ridge pattern over the eastern Pacific and the western U.S. This indicates we will have above average temperatures with very little, if any chance, of precipitation.
May: This model is indicating upper level high pressure will be somewhat more dominant over the Desert Southwest, stretching into the eastern Pacific Ocean. This pattern typically means generally above average temperatures and would also result in below average precipitation.
May, June, July: Now we head into the heart of summer, which is typically dry for central California. This model is indicating even drier than average conditions will prevail. Upper level high pressure will be dominant, maintaining generally above average temperatures.
Winds: All the way through Monday will be periods of winds out of the west/northwest at 10 to 20 MPH with local gusts to 30 MPH, mainly along the west side. This will be interspersed with somewhat lighter winds, mainly during the night and morning hours.
Rain: Expect dry weather through at least Sunday night and probably beyond. Some models are picking up on the possibility of an upper low forming along the Oregon coast early next week then rapidly dropping southward into southern California by Tuesday. This will certainly increase the chance of showers over the mountain areas and possibly even a few showers over the valley floor. For now, I’m leaning towards a drier forecast, however this pattern this time of year can surprise us, so I think it’s a good idea to put a small chance of showers in the forecast for Monday afternoon through Tuesday. After Tuesday, high pressure will build in from the west for dry weather for the remainder of next week and more than likely beyond.
Afternoon Dew Points Today: Mid to upper 30s. Kern: Mid to upper 30s.
Humidity: Visalia: 25%/90% Bakersfield: 20%/77%
Actual Humidity April 25, 2018: Delano, 72%/27`%, Porterville, 78%/28%
Percentage of Sunshine Today/Tomorrow: Visalia: Today: 90% tomorrow 70% Bakersfield: Today: 100% Tomorrow: 80%
ET Rates Over the Past Seven Days April 25, 2018: Stratford 1.74, Parlier 1.46, Blackwell 1.79 Lindcove 1.43, Arvin 1.52, Orange Cove 1.49, Porterville 1.46, Delano 1.51, Madera Two 1.45. Courtesy University of California *=estimate, NA=not available.
Seven Day Soil Temperatures: Stratford 64, Parlier 68, Blackwell 70, Lindcove, 65, Arvin, 69, Orange Cove 63, Porterville 69, Delano 73, Madera Two 65
Record Temperatures: 98/37. Average Temperatures: 78/49
Cooling Degree Days this Season: 61 +34 Courtesy of the NWS
Average temperatures for April so far, 63.9 +3.9
Precipitation: Seasonal total/average/above or below average:
Since October 1, 2017 Fresno: 6.73 season. or -3.81. Month to Date: .64
Since October 1, 2017, Bakersfield: 3.93, or -2.10. Month to Date: .20
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: 6:09 am Sunset: 7:44 pm. Hours of Daylight: 13:36
Yesterday’s Weather:
MAE : Madera 253 : DH1700 / 85 / 51 / 0.00 /
FAT : Fresno Airport 333 : DH1700 / 87 / 57 / 0.00 /
HJO : Hanford Airport 242 : DH1700 / 88 / 57 / 0.00 /
NLC : Lemoore Naval AS 234 : DH1700 / 88 / 56 / 0.00 /
BFL : Bakersfield Airport 496 : DH1700 / 89 / 62 / 0.00 /
VIS : Visalia Airport 292 : DH1700 / 84 / 55 / 0.00 /
ATEC1 : Avenal 787 : DH1634 / 89 / 54 / 0.00 /
PTV : Porterville Airport 442 : DH1700 / 86 / 55 / 0.00 /
TFTC1 : Taft 759 : DH1651 / 86 / 62 / 0.00 /
LOSC1 : Los Banos 120 : DH1600 / 81 / 55 / 0.00 /
Rainfall
STOCKTON 0.00 9.09 70 21.68 166 13.06 14.06
MODESTO 0.00 8.00 67 16.78 140 11.98 13.11
MERCED 0.00 6.91 61 15.79 139 11.37 12.50
MADERA 0.00 7.22 66 14.17 129 10.96 12.02
FRESNO 0.00 6.73 64 17.08 162 10.57 11.50
HANFORD 0.00 4.70 51 10.65 116 9.22 10.10
BAKERSFIELD 0.00 3.93 65 7.76 128 6.04 6.47
BISHOP 0.00 1.13 26 8.81 205 4.29 5.18
SALINAS 0.00 7.13 59 16.36 135 12.11 12.83
PASO ROBLES 0.00 9.62 79 15.96 132 12.11 12.78
SANTA MARIA 0.00 6.01 45 18.10 136 13.33 13.95
Next report: Friday, April 27