January 25, 2022
Temperatures at midday are running 2 to 4 degrees cooler at most locations than 24 hours ago. This is due to a benign wave of low pressure moving through the Great Basin which has weakened pressure aloft just a tad. That will begin to reverse Wednesday as upper level high pressure which has been hanging off the Pacific coast begins to move eastward over California. The combination of patchy frost and areas of dense fog will continue through Friday night. The only real change I see this afternoon is the potential for rain during the first week in February. Some models are now moving the main storm track a bit further east with systems diving into the Pacific Northwest and then into the Great Basin, reducing the chance of rain for California. Not to be deterred, however, it’s fairly common for modeling information to zig zag back and forth this far out. At the very least, there should be some activity over the mountains with a colder pattern for the valley floor as a high builds into the Gulf of Alaska, generating a north/northwest flow beginning Monday and lasting through next Thursday. Unfortunately, behind this system another blocking ridge will set up.
Forecast: Outside of areas of night and morning fog and low clouds, it will be mostly clear through Friday night. Mostly clear to occasionally partly cloudy Saturday through Sunday night. Increasing cloudiness Monday leading to a slight chance of showers Tuesday.
Short Term:
| Madera 33/64/34/65 | Reedley 32/64/34/65 | Dinuba 32/63/33/64 |
| Porterville 33/66/33/67 | Lindsay 31/64/32/65 | Delano 34/66/34/67 |
| Bakersfield 40/67/41/65 | Taft 43/64/43/63 | Arvin 35/66/35/67 |
| Lamont 34/66/34/67 | Pixley 32/65/33/65 | Tulare 31/64/32/64 |
| Woodlake 32/66/33/65 | Hanford 33/65/34/65 | Orosi 31/64/33/64 |
Wind Discussion: Winds will be generally at or less than 6 MPH with periods of near calm conditions through Friday.
Rain: Expect dry weather through the weekend. I’m a bit less encouraged about the prospect of rain for the first week in February. Most previous model runs were indicating a straight shot of low pressure from British Columbia to southern California. Now, they show the storm track moving more into the Great Basin. This will at least give the Sierra a chance of precipitation, but lowers the chance for the valley floor. Still, it’s quite common for models to shift back and forth. At the very least, it will turn colder.
Frost: Temperatures are slightly cooler than yesterday’s values at midday. Dew points are slightly higher but not enough to really change the outlook for tonight’s forecast. Again, like previous nights, low spots like river bottoms will potentially drop into the upper 20s to lower 30s for short durations with the vast majority of real estate remaining in the low to mid 30s. a pattern shift will occur the first week of February. For now, it would appear a colder, north/northwest flow will develop along the eastern side of high pressure off the Pacific coast. For now, it doesn’t look like a severe freeze threat and at any rate, we’re talking from the fifth of February and beyond. That’s a lifetime in the world of weather and much could change.
Lows Tonight:
| Terra Bella
32 |
Porterville
33 |
Ivanhoe
31 |
Woodlake
32 |
| Strathmore
Af |
McFarland
30 |
Ducor
Af |
Tea Pot Dome
32 |
| Lindsay
30 |
Exeter
31 |
Famoso
33 |
Madera
33 |
| Belridge
31 |
Delano
Af |
North Bakersfield
Af |
Orosi
31 |
| Orange Cove
32 |
Lindcove
31 |
Lindcove Hillside
Af |
Sanger River Bottom
28 |
| Root Creek
30 |
Venice Hill
32 |
Rosedale
33 |
Jasmine
33 |
| Arvin
Af |
Lamont
Af |
Plainview
32 |
Mettler
33 |
| Edison
Af |
Maricopa
33 |
Holland Creek
31 |
Tivy Valley
Af |
| Kite Road South
31 |
Kite Road North
Af |
AF=Above Freezing
Next report: January 26