March 18, 2021
The valley this afternoon is sliced into two weather segments. The first segment is allowing filtered sunshine. The temperature at Porterville has risen to 69 degrees as of 1:00 pm while Bakersfield has risen to 72 degrees. Merced is in segment number two with a temperature of 55 with light rain falling. A train of heavy cloud cover and embedded light showers has been running from Stockton on the north to Fresno on the south. This band of moisture will sag southward this evening, allowing light showers to move into the valley. This energy will weaken late tonight with dry weather returning Saturday with the exception of the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada. By late Sunday, upper level high pressure will be ridging into Oregon and northern California. This high will remain in place through mid week, resulting in a warming trend. On Thursday, a fast moving low pressure system will move through the Pacific Northwest then will dive into the Great Basin as an inside slider too far to the east for active weather for central California. Behind this system will be a strong ridge of upper level high pressure which will cover the eastern Pacific and the western one third of the US, driving temperatures] well above average during the late part of the workweek and into the weekend
Forecast: The continuing risk of light showers tonight. partly cloudy Saturday. becoming mostly clear Saturday night through Sunday night. Mostly clear Monday through Friday.
Short Term:
| Madera 44/63/37/65 | Reedley 44/64/38/65 | Dinuba 43/63/38/64 |
| Porterville 44/64/37/65 | Lindsay 43/64/36/65 | Delano 45/65/38/66 |
| Bakersfield 51/63/41/64 | Taft 52/62/48/64 | Arvin 48/62/40/65 |
| Lamont 47/62/40/65 | Pixley 45/65/37/65 | Tulare 43/63/36/64 |
| Woodlake 42/63/36/65 | Hanford 44/64/37/65 | Orosi 43/64/36/63 |
Winds Discussion: winds tonight will be out of the northwest at around 8 to 15 MPH with gusts to near 20 possible, mainly near showers. Winds Saturday through Monday will be variable to no more than 12 MPH late mornings and afternoons and at or less than 6 MPH during the night and morning hours with periods of near calm conditions.
Rain Discussion: Light showers which had been affecting from Fresno County north today will finally move into the south valley this evening. Rainfall amounts at most locations will be no more than a tenth or two. This event will be over by Saturday morning with dry weather the remainder of the weekend. Next week will be dry. In fact, models for next weekend and into the following week show strong high pressure dominating with dry weather into the following week as well.
Frost Discussion: Temperatures will be above freezing for at least the next 7 to 10 days.
Next report: March 20/am