We will be out of the office this afternoon. Reports will resume Sunday morning.
March 13, 2021
Finally, the cold core low has moved far enough to the east to allow a temporary warming trend. The low itself is now in northern Arizona and will move into the Four Corners region this afternoon. The freezing level above Vandenberg AFB has risen to 6,300 feet, which is still quite low but a far cry from 3,800 feet just36 hours ago. Further north at Oakland, the freezing level has jumped up to 7,200 feet.
As the low continues to pull off to the east, a temporary ridge of high pressure is filling in behind which will dominate our weather through Sunday. The next cold low will move through northern and central California Sunday night and Monday, spreading light showers over much of the valley and especially over the mountain regions where snow will once again fall to as low as 3,500 feet. This system, however, will be a fast mover so any precipitation that accumulates will be generally less than .10.
As early as Wednesday morning, a flat zone of upper level high pressure will begin to build in from the west and will dominate our weather for the remainder of the week. Temperatures will be moving into the lower 70s by Thursday. A few locations could dip into the lower 30s again Tuesday and Wednesday, but will quickly recover later in the week due to the strong spring sun.
Longer range models show another system moving through northern California over the weekend. However, so far this storm appears to be weaker and a bit further north so at this point we’ll keep precipitation out of the forecast for that time frame.
Forecast: Mostly clear skies through Sunday morning. increasing cloudiness Sunday afternoon. Mostly cloudy Sunday night and Monday morning with a good chance of light showers Sunday night and Monday, mainly north of Kern County. mostly clear to occasionally partly cloudy Monday afternoon through Saturday.
Short Term:
| Madera 66/35/64/39/57 | Reedley 67/36/65/40/58 | Dinuba 66/34/65/39/57 |
| Porterville 68/35/65/39/56 | Lindsay 68/34/65/38/57 | Delano 67/35/65/40/58 |
| Bakersfield 68/41/68/43/54 | Taft 66/47/65/47/53 | Arvin 68/41/68/42/54 |
| Lamont 67/40/67/42/54 | Pixley 68/34/65/40/56 | Tulare 65/34/65/39/56 |
| Woodlake 66/34/65/39/57 | Hanford 66/34/65/39/56 | Orosi 65/34/65/39/55 |
Seven Day Forecast:
| Tuesday
Mostly clear 34/60 |
Wednesday
Mostly clear 35/64 |
Thursday
Mostly clear 41/71 |
Friday
Mostly clear 45/73 |
Saturday
Mostly clear 44/74 |
Two Week Outlook: March 20 through March 26: This model finds generally a weak zone of high pressure over California and off shore. Temperatures can be expected to be marginally above average during this time frame with only a very low chance of precipitation.
March: This model indicates the Pacific Northwest and northern California will have below average temperatures for the month while just the opposite will be true for southern California and the Desert Southwest. Central California is between these two zones, theoretically experiencing near average temperatures and drier than average conditions.
March, April, May: As usual, this model shows California and most of the country with above average temperatures. This same model indicated pretty much the same for the current month of February which will go down as one of the coldest February on record. Precipitation over the next 90 days should run below average.
Winds Discussion: Winds through Sunday morning will be generally at or less than 15 MPH. From Sunday afternoon through Monday, winds will be mainly out of the northwest at 8 to 15 MPH. gusts to 20 MPH will be possible Sunday afternoon through Monday, mainly from Fresno County north and along the west side.
Rain Discussion: Light showers will spread down the valley Sunday night, continuing on and off through Monday, mainly north of Kern County. Unlike the previous storm, this system will be a fast mover with rainfall amounts generally at or less than .10. Dry weather will return by Monday evening and continue for the remainder of the week.
We will be out of the office this afternoon. Reports will resume Sunday morning.
Frost Discussion: All locations will be above 32 degrees tonight, but only slightly above in the very coldest frost pockets. Another slug of cold air will arrive Monday, so I wouldn’t completely rule out isolated pockets in the lower 30s Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Cloud cover and wind conditions will keep the vast majority of locations in the mid 30s to lower 40s. expect above freezing conditions from Wednesday morning on.
Afternoon Dew Points Today: Mid to upper 30s. Kern: Low to mid 30s.
Actual Humidity Range Yesterday: Delano, 99%/37% Porterville, 95%/39%
Percentage of Sunshine Today/Tomorrow: Visalia: Today: 60%, tomorrow 60%. Bakersfield: Today: 60% Tomorrow: 60%
ET Rates Over the Past Seven Days:. Stratford .76, Parlier .NA, Arvin .84, Orange Cove .65, Porterville .71, Delano .74. Courtesy University of California *=estimate, NA=not available.
Seven Day Soil Temperatures: Stratford 54, Parlier 59, Blackwell 52, Arvin, 57, Orange Cove 56, Porterville 57, Delano 50.
Record Temperatures: 85/31. Average Temperatures: 67/46
Heating Degree Days This Season: 1952. Varies widely from location to location. courtesy of the NWS
Average Temperature for this month So Far: 52.3 -2.0 courtesy of the NWS
Precipitation: Seasonal total for Fresno, 5.54, or -3.01 or 65% of average. Month to Date: .43 or -.43
Precipitation for Bakersfield, Season, 2.10, +or- -2.77 or 43% of average. Month to date .29 or -.22
Water year season is from October 1st through September 30.
Chilling Hours November 1st through February 28: Orange Cove, 982, Parlier, 1128, Arvin, 882, Belridge, 1029, Shafter, 1008, Stratford, 1082, Delano, 1157, Porterville, 1108
Hours at 45 or below 45. Courtesy UC Davis
Sunrise: 7:11 am Sunset: 7:06 Hours of Daylight: 11:53
Yesterday’s Weather
MCE : Merced 153 : DH1600 / 62 / 35 / 0.00 /
MAE : Madera 253 : DH1600 / 61 / 42 / 0.00 /
FAT : Fresno Airport 333 : DH1600 / 60 / 44 / 0.00 /
HJO : Hanford Airport 242 : DH1600 / 61 / 41 / 0.00 /
NLC : Lemoore Naval AS 234 : DH1600 / 64 / 42 / 0.00 /
BFL : Bakersfield Airport 496 : DH1600 / 62 / 52 / 0.00 /
VIS : Visalia Airport 292 : DH1600 / 60 / 41 / 0.00 /
ATEC1 : Avenal 787 : DHM / M / 41 / 0.00 /
PTV : Porterville Airport 442 : DH1600 / 61 / 35 / 0.00 /
TFTC1 : Taft 759 : DH1557 / 60 / 41 / 0.00 /
LOSC1 : Los Banos 120 : DH1600 / 62 / 41 / 0.00 /
Rainfall: 24hr W.Y. % Last Y. % Ave. Year ave.
STOCKTON 0.00 7.50 69 5.43 50 10.88 14.06
MODESTO 0.00 6.72 68 3.92 40 9.92 13.11
MERCED 0.00 6.41 68 0.00 0 9.39 12.50
MADERA 0.00 1.36 15 0.00 0 9.22 12.02
FRESNO 0.00 5.54 65 0.00 0 8.48 11.50
HANFORD 0.01 3.43 45 0.00 0 7.68 10.10
BAKERSFIELD 0.03 2.10 43 0.00 0 4.83 6.47
BISHOP T 1.61 43 1.53 41 3.76 5.18
SALINAS T 5.38 54 6.12 62 9.91 12.83
PASO ROBLES 0.03 6.38 63 7.29 72 10.07 12.78
SANTA MARIA 0.07 6.74 62 5.87 54 10.89 13.95
Next report: March 14/am