January 6, 2021
Summary: All that is left of a trough of low pressure moving through northern California is a narrow band of light showers stretching from the northern Sierra Nevada to just north of Monterey. This band is dissipating as it moves quickly eastward. Temperatures today on the valley floor are mostly in the mid 50s. however, as of 1:00pm, Visalia was just 48 and Hanford 51 due to the fact that those areas were the last to see the fog burn off. The high level clouds above us this afternoon are based at near 21,000 feet and will move east of the Sierra Nevada this evening for mostly clear skies tonight. with radiational cooling and a warm air inversion above the valley, dense fog will again become widespread, especially up the 99 corridor north of Kern County. It may expand into other areas before sunrise.
The next system will follow a similar path. There are models that show a chance of light showers as far south as Merced, however given recent modeling discrepancies, that may be a long shot. Anyway, this disturbance will move eastward Thursday night and Friday morning.
Over the weekend, a large area of upper level high pressure will extend eastward and northward, actually building a ridge into western Canada. That ridge will break down Monday and Tuesday, allowing the storm track back into the Pacific Northwest, but all the medium range models agree a blocking ridge will be a semi permanent feature for the next seven days, if not longer. So, the main weather challenge will be the fog and low clouds and their effect on temperatures.
Forecast: Becoming mostly clear tonight. Widespread dense fog developing after midnight, especially up the 99 corridor, but possibly expanding into other areas before sunrise. Widespread dense fog and low clouds Thursday morning with increasing amounts of higher clouds Thursday afternoon. Variable cloudiness Thursday night and Friday morning with areas of night and morning fog and low clouds. Mostly clear Friday afternoon through next Wednesday with widespread night and morning fog with clearing in some areas during the afternoons.
Short Term:
| Madera 34/57/35/58 | Reedley 34/56/34/58 | Dinuba 32/55/33/57 | |
| Porterville 33/56/34/58 | Lindsay 32/57/33/60 | Delano 35/56/36/61 | |
| Bakersfield 41/59/41/62 | Taft 46/56/47/60 | Arvin 37/59/37/62 | |
| Lamont 36/59/37/61 | Pixley 34/57/35/60 | Tulare 32/55/33/59 | |
| Woodlake 33/57/34/58 | Hanford 35/57/36/60 | Orosi 33/56/34/57 | |
Winds: Winds through Saturday will be at or less than 10 MPH and variable in nature during the late mornings and afternoons and generally less than 5 MPH during the night and early morning hours with extended periods of near calm conditions.
Rain: Expect dry conditions for the next week to possibly ten days.
Frost: River bottom and similar low lying frost pockets may dip into the lower 30s tonight with most locations ranging from 33 to 37. That will generally be the rule of thumb on any night with generally clear skies. Widespread fog will form later tonight, no doubt encroaching on the citrus belts before sunrise. At any rate, there’s no chance of significant frost for the foreseeable future, but I’ll go ahead and forecast some of the typical cold spots near the freezing mark.
Lows Tonight:
| Terra Bella
Af |
Porterville
Af |
Ivanhoe
32 |
Woodlake
Af |
| Strathmore
Af |
McFarland
Af |
Ducor
Af |
Tea Pot Dome
Af |
| Lindsay
32 |
Exeter
32 |
Famoso
Af |
Madera
Af |
| Belridge
32 |
Delano
Af |
North Bakersfield
Af |
Orosi
Af |
| Orange Cove
Af |
Lindcove
32 |
Lindcove Hillside
Af |
Sanger River Bottom
30 |
| Root Creek
32 |
Venice Hill
Af |
Rosedale
Af |
Jasmine
Af |
| Arvin
Af |
Lamont
Af |
Plainview
Af |
Mettler
Af |
| Edison
Af |
Maricopa
Af |
Holland Creek
af |
Tivy Valley
Af |
| Kite Road South
Af |
Kite Road North
Af |
AF=Above Freezing
Next update: January 7/am