December 11, 2018
Summary: The low clouds have cleared along the entire west side and over parts of the central valley. They’re eroding from north to south from Madera County southward to Kern County. Still, if you look at satellite imagery, it almost appears that cloud cover is regenerating in Kern and Tulare Counties and could possibly hang in there all night. the bottom line for tonight is temperatures will be widespread in the low to mid 30s where skies are generally clear and will range in the 40s where they are not.
Outside of high clouds at times on Wednesday, skies will be mostly clear. However, I do look for widespread ground fog to develop tonight in areas where skies have cleared. It’s’ possible it could be widespread enough to lift into another low overcast for Wednesday night and Thursday morning. A dry cold front will move through Friday. It doesn’t appear to have enough energy to affect the San Joaquin Valley. So, the pattern through Saturday will favor more ground fog and low clouds.
Higher clouds will begin to increase Sunday ahead of a stronger system. A cold front will move down the valley Sunday night and Monday morning with precipitation likely from Fresno County north and a lesser chance of light showers south of Fresno County. This does not appear to be a significant rain event anywhere; however we’ll take what we can get.
After Monday, the rest of next week will likely be dry as a large high develops off the west coast with its center southwest of the central coast. By the middle of next week, the high will also cover the wester one-fourth of California and should dominate our pattern through next weekend. This time of year, that spells plenty of fog and low clouds with only partial clearing each afternoon. Generally speaking, very pleasant weather will prevail over the mountain and coastal regions with chilly, damp conditions on the valley floor.
Forecast: Mostly clear towards the center and west side of the valley and north of Madera County on the east side. Possibly clearing later in the night elsewhere. Where it clears, widespread ground fog will form and become locally dense. Widespread fog and/or low clouds Wednesday morning with partial afternoon clearing Wednesday afternoon and evening. Fog will redevelop Wednesday night and Thursday morning with partial afternoon clearing. Low overcast and fog can be expected through Saturday with partial afternoon clearing. Increasing cloudiness Sunday with light rain likely from Fresno County north Sunday afternoon through Monday morning. Light showers are possible south of Fresno County. Mostly cloudy Sunday night and Monday morning with clearing skies Monday afternoon. Widespread fog forming Monday night and Tuesday morning with partial afternoon clearing.
Short Term:
| Madera 34/55/34/57 | Reedley 33/54/34/56 | Dinuba 31/54/32/55 | |
| Porterville 34/55/33/57 | Lindsay 31/55/32/57 | Delano 35/56/35/58 | |
| Bakersfield 41/58/40/61 | Taft 42/58/42/61 | Arvin 38/57/36/62 | |
| Lamont 42/58/42/60 | Pixley 33/55/32/57 | Tulare 31/55/32/57 | |
| Woodlake 31/55/32/56 | Hanford 35/55/34/57 | Orosi 32/54/32/55 | |
Winds: Winds will be generally at or below 15 MPH through Friday with periods of near calm conditions.
Rain: Light rain will spread down the valley late Sunday afternoon and into early Monday with the likelihood of measurable precipitation from Fresno County north and a lesser chance south. Even from Fresno County northward, amounts will likely be at or below .25. lingering clouds, especially along the mountains, will continue for a time Monday morning with dry weather returning Monday afternoon. Expect dry weather for the remainder of next week as persistent upper level high pressure will cover the eastern Pacific Ocean and roughly the western one-fourth of the U.S.
Frost Discussion: Skies have cleared along the west side and partially over the center of the valley. The low clouds continue to erode from the north along the east side, reaching down into Fresno County as of the time of this writing. The base of the overcast over Bakersfield, Visalia, and Porterville is about 3,500 feet and satellite imagery indicates the clearing process will be much slower in Tulare and Kern Counties. We could see pockets of low clouds lingering through the night. the individual numbers you see below operate under the assumption that skies have cleared over that region.
Ground fog is likely where skies do clear and may very well be widespread again by morning. Most areas should be relatively clear Wednesday afternoon with widespread fog forming Thursday night and Friday morning. A weak cold front will move through Friday but it’s doubtful it will have enough dynamics to disturb conditions at the valley floor. Thus, fog and/or low overcast will continue through Saturday.
Higher clouds will begin to increase Saturday night with an increasing chance of light rain late Sunday through Monday morning, maintaining above freezing conditions. The air mass behind the Sunday/Monday system is cold, but nothing unusual. Where it clears, low to mid 30s will be possible.
Persistent high pressure will prevail Tuesday and through the remainder of next week which will be ideal for persistent fog and low clouds, maintaining above freezing conditions. The pattern we had previously mentioned between the 23 and the 27 is out the window now so if we keep our fingers crossed, no excessively cold air will reach us over the Christmas holiday.
Lows Tonight:
| Terra Bella
32 |
Porterville
33 |
Ivanhoe
32 |
Woodlake
33 |
| Strathmore
32 |
McFarland
31 |
Ducor
35 |
Tea Pot Dome
33 |
| Lindsay
31 |
Exeter
31 |
Famoso
35 |
Madera
33 |
| Belridge
31 |
Delano
34 |
North Bakersfield
33 |
Orosi
31 |
| Orange Cove
32 |
Lindcove
30 |
Lindcove Hillside
34 |
Sanger River Bottom
29 |
| Root Creek
31 |
Venice Hill
32 |
Rosedale
34 |
Jasmine
34 |
| Arvin
35 |
Lamont
35 |
Plainview
32 |
Mettler
Af |
| Edison
34 |
Maricopa
32 |
Holland Creek
34 |
Tivy Valley
31 |
| Kite Road South
33 |
Kite Road North
30 |
AF=Above Freezing
Next report: Wednesday morning/December 12