January 20, 2022
As of 1:00pm, temperatures had risen into the low to mid 60s with dew points generally in the upper 40s to near 50. There are two main features to consider. The first is strong upper level high pressure anchored off the northern California coast with a ridge extending northward into Alaska. In the meantime, there’s a developing low over the Great Basin which will close off and park over southern Arizona by Saturday. This will create a squeeze play between the off shore high and the southwestern low, generating strong Mono type winds over portions of the southern Sierra Nevada.
These winds will spread southward into the Kern County mountains. The Sierra Nevada prevents these winds from affecting the valley floor, however they do on occasion mix drier air down, lowering dew points down to possibly enough to allow for pockets of frost Saturday and Sunday mornings. No serious freeze is anticipated.
All the models show a big high just off the west coast through the next 7 day period. The GFS model shows the northern portion of the high breaking down about the first of February, possibly allowing rain back into northern California. Precipitation is expected to remain to our north, however.
Forecast: Outside of areas of night and morning fog and low clouds and occasional high clouds, it will be mostly clear and hazy through next Thursday.
Short Term:
| Madera 36/59/33/60 | Reedley 36/60/36/61 | Dinuba 35/59/32/60 |
| Porterville 35/61/33/61 | Lindsay 34/60/32/60 | Delano 37/59/34/61 |
| Bakersfield 41/61/37/62 | Taft 46/59/40/60 | Arvin 37/61/34/61 |
| Lamont 40/59/34/60 | Pixley 36/60//32/61 | Tulare 35/59/32/59 |
| Woodlake 36/60/33/61 | Hanford 38/59/34/61 | Orosi 35/59/31/60 |
Wind Discussion: Winds will be generally at or less than 6 MPH with periods of near calm conditions through Sunday.
Rain: Expect dry weather for the next 7 to possibly 10 days.
Frost: All locations will be above 32 degrees tonight. A squeeze play will develop over the next 36hours between a low center over the desert southwest and high pressure off the northern California coast. This will generate a strong northeast flow aloft, potentially mixing drier air down to the valley floor. Dew points are way up near 50 this afternoon. I wouldn’t be surprised to see dew points drop into the upper 30s to lower 40s by Friday afternoon. This should allow temperatures to fall into the low to mid 30s Saturday and Sunday mornings with a chance of unprotected river bottom type locations dipping briefly into the upper 20s. I just consider this a run of the mill situation where temperatures would only drop to just below seasonal averages. There’s still nothing showing up that would result in a freeze.
Next report: January 21