That weak trough of low pressure that moved through with very little fanfare about 36 hours ago did leave a somewhat colder air mass in its wake. In some cases, the first frost of the season occurred overnight with widespread low to mid 30s in the rural areas. The coldest I could find in the citrus belts was 28 at McFarland. Satellite imagery indicates widespread dense fog through the center of the valley from just north of Delano to near Stockton on the north.
The Santa Ana winds are cranked up in southern California. Differences in pressure are fairly strong between the interior and the coast. For example, the altimeter reading at Salt Lake City is 30.0 while at LAX the current reading is 30.23 inches of mercury. Some of this drier air is mixing into Kern County, which is relatively fog-free this morning.
In the big picture, a low center is parked over central and northern Baja while a ridge of upper level pressure off shore extends northeastward over central California and the Pacific Northwest, creating a northwest flow aloft. At the surface, relatively strong high pressure is centered over northern Utah. The off shore high will build even further north, driving Pacific storms mainly into Washington and British Columbia. Stable dry weather will continue for the next week and likely into the first week of December. It now appears the entire month of November will also be precipitation free.
We had that monster storm back in late October and that has been our rainfall season, so far.
Forecast: Widespread dense fog and low clouds, especially up the center of the valley north of Kern County today. Widespread fog and low clouds, mainly north of Kern County with hazy afternoon sunshine each day through next Thursday with occasional periods of high clouds above the fog.
Short Term:
| Madera 63/33/62/34/64 | Reedley 62/33/62/33/63 | Dinuba 61/31/62/33/63 |
| Porterville 65/32/63/33/65 | Lindsay 65/31/62/32/64 | Delano 64/32/62/34/64 |
| Bakersfield 67/40/63/41/65 | Taft 65/48/64/48/67 | Arvin 68/38/68/40/65 |
| Lamont 67/38/65/40/65 | Pixley 65/32/62/34/63 | Tulare 62/30/62/32/63 |
| Woodlake 64/33/64/33/65 | Hanford 64/33/62/34/62 | Orosi 63/32/62/33/64 |
Seven Day Forecast:
| Sunday
AM fog/PM sun 37/64 |
Monday
AM fog/PM sun 39/68 |
Tuesday
AM fog/PM sun 38/68 |
Wednesday
AM fog/PM sun 40/67 |
Thursday
AM fog/PM sun 41/69 |
Two Week Outlook: December 1 through December 7: This model still shows the storm track moving further south, possibly affecting central California. However, some medium range models don’t favor this outcome. For now, we’ll go with a minimal chance of rain and above average temperatures.
December, January, February: If this model is to be believed at all, temperatures will be marginally above average over central California. This model also depicts the main storm track continuing into the Pacific Northwest with somewhat below average precipitation over the southern 2/3 of California.
Wind Discussion: Winds tonight through Sunday will be generally variable at no more than 10 MPH with periods of near calm conditions.
Rain: Expect dry conditions for at least the next 7 to 10 days.
Frost: Last night went pretty much as planned with widespread low to mid 30s. The coldest location as of 6:00am was 28 at McFarland while Exeter and Lindsay dropped to 30. Temperatures this morning are anywhere from 5 to 10 degrees colder this morning than 24 hours ago. Now that a marginally colder air mass is in place on the valley floor, it will lead to a string of readings generally in the 30s. there is a considerable amount of fog and low clouds this morning, mainly along the 99-corridor. With the very short days of late November, it becomes more difficult for the sun to do its job and burn off these clouds. However, it’s been almost a month since any decent rain has touched the valley. So, even though conditions are ideal for fog, the overall environment is fairly dry so I do believe most areas will remain relatively clear, especially near the foothills and in Kern County. I would anticipate low to mid 30s again tonight and once more Friday night with slight moderation through the weekend and into next week.
Still nothing out there suggesting an especially cold pattern on the horizon.
Lows Tonight:
| Terra Bella
32 |
Porterville
Af |
Ivanhoe
31 |
Woodlake
32 |
| Strathmore
32 |
McFarland
29 |
Ducor
af |
Tea Pot Dome
32 |
| Lindsay
30 |
Exeter
E1 |
Famoso
Af |
Madera
32 |
| Belridge
31 |
Delano
32 |
North Bakersfield
Af |
Orosi
31 |
| Orange Cove
32 |
Lindcove
31 |
Lindcove Hillside
af |
Sanger River Bottom
29 |
| root creek
30 |
Venice Hill
32 |
Rosedale
af |
Jasmine
32 |
| Arvin
Af |
Lamont
af |
Plainview
32 |
Mettler
Af |
| Edison
af |
Maricopa
Af |
Holland Creek
32 |
Tivy Valley
Af |
| Kite Road South
32 |
Kite Road North
Af |
AF=Above Freezing
Actual Humidity Range Yesterday: Delano, 98%/45% Porterville, 100%/43%. Dew points: Low to mid 40s. Kern: Low to mid 30s.
Percentage of Sunshine Today/Tomorrow: Visalia: Today: 70%, tomorrow 60%. Bakersfield: Today: 80%/. Tomorrow, 80%.
ET Rates Over the Past Seven Days: Stratford .38, Parlier .29, Arvin .44, Orange Cove .37, Porterville .38, Delano .29. Courtesy University of California *=estimate, NA=not available.
Seven Day Soil Temperatures: Stratford, 61, Parlier 59, Arvin, .60, Orange Cove 59, Porterville 57, Delano 52. *=data missing.
Average Temperatures: 61/40. Record Temperatures: 76/27
Heating Degree Days This Season. 319 -26. Varies widely from location to location. courtesy of the NWS
courtesy of the NWS
Precipitation: Seasonal total for Fresno, .1.57 or +.35. Monthly .30. -.36
Precipitation for Bakersfield, Season, .95 or +28. Month to date .01 -.38
Average Temperature this month: 56.2, +2.0. Taken NWS Hanford.
Water year season is from October 1st through September 30.
Chilling Hours November 1st through February 28: Orange Cove, 38 , Parlier, 54 , Arvin, 46, Belridge, 58 ,Shafter, 49 , Stratford, 84 , Delano, 58 , Porterville, 64`
Sunrise. 6:48 Sunset, 4:44 hours of daylight, 9:57
NA=missing
Yesterday’s Weather:
MCE : Merced AP 153 : 57 / 34 / 0.00 /
MAE : Madera AP 253 : 56 / 35 / 0.00 /
FAT : Fresno AP 333 : 61 / 42 / 0.00 /
HJO : Hanford AP 242 : 59 / 35 / 0.00 /
NLC : Lemoore NAS 234 : 61 / 32 / 0.00 /
BFL : Bakersfield AP 496 : 62 / 38 / 0.00 /
VIS : Visalia AP 292 : 63 / 36 / 0.00 /
PTV : Porterville AP 442 : 63 / 36 / 0.00 /
Rainfall: 24hr season % L.Y. % Ave. Annual total ave
STOCKTON 0.00 4.32 248 0.09 5 1.74 13.45
MODESTO 0.00 3.06 230 0.10 8 1.33 12.27
MERCED 0.00 2.00 140 1.08 76 1.43 11.80
MADERA 0.00 0.65 58 0.16 14 1.13 10.79
FRESNO 0.00 1.57 129 0.28 23 1.22 10.99
HANFORD 0.00 1.24 132 0.13 14 0.94 8.13
BAKERSFIELD 0.00 0.95 142 0.39 58 0.67 6.36
BISHOP 0.00 0.78 132 T 0 0.59 4.84
SALINAS 0.00 2.19 143 0.37 24 1.53 12.58
PASO ROBLES M M M M M M 12.15
SANTA MARIA 0.00 1.40 101 0.25 18 1.39 13.32
Next report: November 26