Updates
  • Out/pneumonia Pardon the interruption again, folks. John had been coughing more and more frequently lately. Difficult breathing yesterday resulted in an ambulance ride to the local…
  • May 8, 2024 report May 8, 2024 Summary  High pressure aloft is  located 500 miles off the northern California coast. Low pressure is centered over Wyoming and the Dakotas…
  • May 6, 2024 report May 6, 2024 Summary  An elongated trough of low pressure extends from the Gulf of Alaska to the Pacific Northwest while high pressure is setting…
  • May 4, 2024 report May 4, 2024 Summary  A low pressure center is off the coast of the Pacific Northwest this morning. This low will move southwestward into northern…
  • May 2, 2024 report May 2, 2024 Summary  upper level high pressure is upwelling ahead of a low pressure system located in the northeast Pacific. This will drive temperatures…
Forecast

February 3, 2021/update

February 3, 2021

A low overcast covers all of Kern County, most of Kings County, and all of Tulare County this morning.  this is due to upsloping from a northwesterly flow aloft which is lifted by the north facing slopes of the Tehachapi Mountains and the west facing slopes of the southern Sierra Nevada.  The base of the overcast is rather ragged.  The sounding above Bakersfield indicated a base at 4,200 feet, 5,500 feet over Visalia, but just 300 feet over Porterville.  These clouds will eventually mix out later this afternoon with some cloud cover lingering into Thursday morning over southeastern Tulare County and parts of Kern County.  Locations that have clear skies tonight will fall below freezing in some areas.  This is discussed below in the frost section.

 

In the big picture, a trough of low pressure is now moving into the interior west with some lingering showers over northern California this morning.  a massive upper high is building over the eastern Pacific, ridging northward into Alaska.  Part of yesterday’s weak frontal system passage pinched off and has formed a cut off low several hundred miles off the central coast.  This will have no impact on our weather.  The currently northwesterly flow will become westerly by Sunday, modifying the air mass.  Some  models  indicate a chance of showers over northern California Monday night through Tuesday night, too far to the north to have much impact here.  Areas of fog and low clouds will form each morning, mainly towards the center of the valley north of Kern County.

 

Forecast: Partly cloudy today in Fresno and Kings Counties.  Mostly cloudy in Tulare and Kern Counties, slowly clearing during the afternoon  mostly clear to partly cloudy tonight, possibly remaining partly to mostly cloudy in Southeastern Tulare and Kern Counties.  Becoming  mostly clear to occasionally partly cloudy later Thursday through Monday with areas of night and morning fog and low clouds, mainly towards the center of the valley north of Kern County.  Variable cloudiness Monday night through Wednesday.

 

Short Term:                                                                        

Madera 58/32/58/31/60 Reedley 59/32/58/31/59 Dinuba 57/31/57/30/59
Porterville 57/32/59/31/61 Lindsay 58/31/59/30/60 Delano 57/32/58/31/61
Bakersfield 56/40/59/37/62 Taft 55/44/55/43/59 Arvin 56/38/59/33/62
Lamont 56/38/59/33/62 Pixley 58/32/59/31/61 Tulare 58/31/59/30/60
Woodlake 59/31/58/30/60 Hanford 59/32/59/31/61 Orosi 58/31/59/30/60

 

Seven Day Forecast:

Saturday

AM fog/PM Sun

34/60

Sunday

AM fog/PM Sun

37/63

Monday

Patchy fog/partly cloudy

39/63

Tuesday

Variable clouds

42/62

Wednesday

Variable clouds

43/64

 

Two Week Outlook:  February 9 through February 15:  This model depicts roughly 80% of the lower 48 will have below average temperatures, including California.  We are definitely under a blocking ridge pattern so the chance of precipitation will be very low.

 

February: Both the 30 and 90 day outlooks reflect a La Nina pattern with below average precipitation over the southern 2/3 of California and above average precip over parts of the Pacific Northwest and northern California.  Temperatures should be close to seasonal averages.      

 

February, March, April: Precipitation will continue to be above average over the Pacific Northwest and roughly the northern ¼ of California with the southern 2/ 3 of California having below average precipitation.  Temperatures should be marginally above average.

 

Winds Discussion: Winds during the mid morning to afternoon hours will be variable at or less than 10 MPH through Saturday.  Winds during the night and early morning hours will be no  more than 7 MPH with extended periods of near calm conditions.

 

Rain Discussion: Expect dry weather for the next week to possibly ten days.

 

Frost Discussion: As expected, upsloping has resulted in a low cloud deck over much of the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley.  These clouds will mix out during the course of the day, however some cloud cover may linger in portions of Kern and southeastern Tulare County through the night.  Where skies clear tonight, river bottom and other low lying frost pockets could potentially drop to 28 to 29 degrees or so with most locations ranging from 30 to 35.  If your location happens to be under a lingering low cloud deck, readings will remain freezing.

 

Subfreezing temperatures will be more widespread Friday morning as the protective cloud deck will be eliminated with, again, most frost pockets dipping into the 28 to 29 degree range and with most flat land regions in the low 30s, possibly into the mid 30s in portions of Kern County.

 

Temperatures Saturday morning will be slightly milder.

 

A westerly flow aloft will begin over the weekend, pulling temperatures above freezing.  The combination of a milder air mass and in and out cloud cover will keep temperatures above freezing for most, if not all of, next week.

 

Lows Tonight:

Terra Bella

31

Porterville

31

Ivanhoe

30

Woodlake

31

Strathmore

31

Mcfarland

31

Ducor 32 Tea Pot Dome

31

Lindsay

30

Exeter

30

Famoso

32

Madera

32

Belridge

30

Delano 32 North Bakersfield

32

Orosi

31

Orange Cove

32

Lindcove

30

Lindcove Hillside

Af

Sanger River Bottom 28
Root Creek

29

Venice Hill

30

Rosedale

32

Jasmine

33

Arvin

Af

Lamont

Af

Plainview

31

Mettler

Af

Edison

Af

Maricopa

Af

Holland Creek

AF

Tivy Valley

30

Kite Rd South

Af

Kite Road North

30

AF=Above Freezing

 

Afternoon Dew Points Today: Upper 40s to the lower 50s.  Kern: Upper 40s to the lower 50s.

Actual Humidity Range Yesterday: Delano, 91%/29% Porterville, NA

 

Percentage of Sunshine Today/Tomorrow: Visalia: Today: 30%, tomorrow 20%.  Bakersfield: Today: 40% Tomorrow: 20%

 

ET Rates Over the Past Seven Days:.  Stratford .38, Parlier .40, Blackwell Corners .NA, Arvin .74, Orange Cove .37, Porterville .NA, Delano .49. Courtesy University of California *=estimate, NA=not available

 

Seven Day Soil Temperatures: Stratford 52, Parlier 52, Blackwell 52, Arvin, 53, Orange Cove 52, Porterville NA, Delano 51

Record Temperatures: 74/26. Average Temperatures: 58/37

Heating Degree Days This Season: 1446.  Varies widely from location to location. courtesy of the NWS

Average Temperature for this month So Far: 60.5 +12.5 courtesy of the NWS

Precipitation:  Seasonal total for Fresno,  4.82,  or -.91 or 84% of average.  Month to Date: .00  or -.07

Precipitation for Bakersfield,  Season,  1.72, +or-  -1.44 or 54% of average.  Month to date  .00 or -.04

Water year season is from October 1st through September 30.

Chilling Hours November 1st through February 28: Orange Cove, 794, Parlier, 926,  Arvin, 744, Belridge, 857, Shafter, 852, Stratford, 885, Delano, 948, Porterville, 878

Hours at 45 or below 45.  Courtesy UC Davis

Sunrise: 6:59 am   Sunset: 5:27 pm   Hours of Daylight:  10:26

 

Yesterday’s Weather

MCE   : Merced               153 : DH1600 /  72 /  47 / 0.00 /

MAE   : Madera               253 : DH1600 /  74 /  49 / 0.00 /

FAT   : Fresno Airport       333 : DH1600 /  73 /  51 / 0.00 /

HJO   : Hanford Airport      242 : DH1600 /  72 /   M / 0.00 /

NLC   : Lemoore Naval AS     234 : DH1600 /  75 /  50 / 0.00 /

BFL   : Bakersfield Airport  496 : DH1600 /  75 /  51 / 0.00 /

VIS   : Visalia Airport      292 : DH1600 /  73 /  47 / 0.00 /

PTV   : Porterville Airport  442 : DH1600 /  75 /  47 / 0.00 /

LOSC1 : Los Banos            120 : DH1600 /  73 /  48 / 0.00 /

 

Rainfall:                     24hr    W.Y.    %    Last Y.  %     Ave.     Year ave.

STOCKTON                      0.00    5.90    78    5.27    70     7.56    14.06

MODESTO                       0.00    5.44    80    3.92    58     6.78    13.11

MERCED                        0.00    5.61    91    0.00     0     6.18    12.50

MADERA                        0.00    1.05    17    0.00     0     6.23    12.02

FRESNO                        0.00    4.82    84    0.00     0     5.73    11.50

HANFORD                       0.00    3.03    58    0.00     0     5.21    10.10

BAKERSFIELD                   0.00    1.72    54    0.00     0     3.16     6.47

BISHOP                        0.00    1.30    48    1.16    43     2.70     5.18

SALINAS                       0.00    4.40    67    5.99    91     6.60    12.83

PASO ROBLES                   0.00    5.93    91    6.61   102     6.50    12.78

SANTA MARIA                   0.00    5.90    86    4.79    69     6.90    13.95

 

 

Next report: February 3/pm