April 3, 2023 am
Light showers are occurring over the foothills of Tulare County southward over the Kern County mountains. Doppler radar is indicating some very light showers in the extreme south valley at places like Arvin and Lamont. Gusty winds are also picking up down the valley. The 5:00 am observations indicated sustained winds of 22 mph at Bakersfield and Visalia and gusting to 24 mph at Fresno. The fact that the current system is mainly a wind event is evidenced by the current barometric pressure at San Francisco being 30.09 while at Las Vegas the current reading is 29,49 inches in mercury. Large differences in pressure between the coast and the Great Basin will spawn strong, gusty winds in most areas. Model information is generally putting out 35 mph gusts on the valley floor, but possibly pushing 50 mph later this afternoon and tonight, mainly along the far west side and over the valley portion of Kern County. As the trough shifts eastward Tuesday, winds will begin to decrease. A much colder air mass is diving southward on the jet stream. The freezing level overnight over Oakland was 4,700 feet while at Medford, Oregon the freezing level was 2,200 feet. This brief taste of winter is a very temporary situation. As the trough shifts eastward beginning Tuesday, a flat zone of upper level high pressure will push in from the west. Temperatures beginning Wednesday will rise 3 to 5 degree each day through the weekend. The Easter weekend in the valley will be picture perfect with mid to upper 70s Saturday and near 80 degree weather Easter Sunday into Monday. the next cooling trend will begin about a week from Wednesday as the next trough moves onshore.
Forecast: Partly cloudy today. A chance of sprinkles or light showers, mainly in Kern County, this morning. Partly cloudy tonight and Tuesday morning. Mostly clear Tuesday afternoon and on through Monday of next week.
Temperatures:
| Madera 56/32/59/32/64 | Reedley 56/33/59/33/64 | Dinuba 55/31/57/33/63 |
| Porterville 55/33/58/33/65 | Lindsay 56/31/57/32/65 | Delano 56/34/58/34/64 |
| Bakersfield 55/36/57/37/63 | Taft 55/37/56/37/63 | Arvin 54/35/58/34/64 |
| Lamont 55/35//59/36/65 | Pixley 56/32/58/33/64 | Tulare 56/31/57/32/63 |
| Woodlake 57/32/58/33/65 | Hanford 56/33/58/34/64 | Orosi 55/32//58//32/64 |
Seven Day Forecast
| Thursday
Mostly clear 36/65 |
Friday
Mostly clear 42/70 |
Saturday
Mostly clear 46/75 |
Sunday
Mostly clear 47/79 |
Monday
Mostly clear 49/80 |
Two Week Outlook: April 8 through April 14: This model continues to show the reversal of the dominant winter/spring pattern with upper level high pressure dominating the western US and eastern Pacific Ocean. This will result in above average temperatures and dry conditions.
April: This model is showing a dominant westerly flow during the month, resulting in below average temperatures. The main storm track will be through the Pacific Northwest and the northern one-fourth of California. Central California is just south of that zone with predicted near average precipitation.
April, May, June: The 90 day outlook calls for generally near to below average precipitation as we head into the dry season. The model doesn’t swing in either direction regarding temperatures, calling for near average temperatures.
Wind Discussion: winds are already increasing down the valley out of the northwest. Winds are gusting to 22mph at Visalia, 24 at Porterville, 28 at Bakersfield, and 30 at Fresno. As pressure gradients increase today and tonight, so will wind velocities. Sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph are possible this afternoon through tonight with possible gusts to 40 mph. along the far west side, and over the valley portion of Kern County, gusts between 40 and 50 mph are likely. Strongest winds will be this afternoon through the late evening hours. Winds Tuesday through Tuesday evening will continue out of the northwest, but wil decrease to 10 to 20 mph. Winds Tuesday night will steadily decline, becoming light and variable after midnight with near calm conditions. Winds Wednesday through Thursday will be mainly out of the northwest afternoons and evenings at 5 to15 mph. during the night and morning hours winds will be generally at or less than 7 mph with periods of near calm conditions.
Rain Discussion: As a cold trough of low pressure barrels through today, sprinkles or light showers will be possible in the south valley, mainly near the foothills. Measurable rain at any location is very unlikely, although it’s possible isolated locations, mainly in Kern County, could pick up a few hundredths. Expect dry weather tonight through at least the first two days of next week, and possibly longer.
Frost Discussion. Strong gusty winds are already moving down the valley. Above the valley floor, we find the jet stream which is ushering in a much cooler air mass into central California. Strong winds will drive dew points into the upper 20s to mid 30s by this afternoon. Temperatures tonight will generally range in the low to mid 30s. however if you happen to have a frost pocket, readings won to 28 to 30 are possible where skies are clear and winds remain calm. With a strong north/northwest flow aloft and strong northwesterly surface winds, there will no doubt be a bank of upslope clouds which will arc out over the valley, mainly in Kern and Tulare Counties. Locations that maintain cloud cover for much of the night may not drop out of the mid to upper 30s. Also, models are showing fairly consistent winds tonight which could keep some locations in the mid 30s to the lower 40s. As you can see, it will be one of those complex nights with possible wide variations in temperatures. Wednesday morning has a better chance of low to mid 30s on a widespread basis with upper 20s possible due to the return of mostly clear skies and very little wind. Most locations Thursday morning will range in the upper 30s to near 40 with river bottoms touching the lower 30s above freezing conditions will prevail Friday morning and beyond.
Lows Tonight:
| Terra Bella
33 |
Porterville
32 |
Ivanhoe
32 |
Woodlake
33 |
| Strathmore
32 |
McFarland
33 |
Ducor
Af |
Tea Pot Dome
32 |
| Lindsay
31` |
Exeter
31 |
Famoso
33 |
Madera
32 |
| Belridge
Af |
Delano
34 |
North Bakersfield
Af |
Orosi
32 |
| Orange Cove
32 |
Lindcove
31 |
Lindcove Hillside
Af |
Sanger River Bottom
29 |
| Root creek
31 |
Venice Hill
32 |
Rosedale
33 |
Jasmine
33 |
| Arvin
Af |
Lamont
Af |
Plainview
32 |
Mettler
Af |
| Edison
Af |
Maricopa
Af |
Holland Creek
Af |
Tivy Valley
32 |
| Kite Road South
Af |
Kite Road North
32 |
Mid afternoon dew points: Low to mid 40s. Kern: Low to mid 40s.
Mid afternoon dew points: Upper 20s to the mid 30s Kern: Mid 20s to the lower 30s
ET for the past seven days: Stratford, .93, Parlier, .87, Arvin 94, Porterville .NA, Delano .97 Soil temperatures: Stratford 53, Parlier 57, Arvin 58, Porterville NA, Delano 58 *=data missing.
Average Temperatures: 71/46 Record Temperatures: 91/33
Heating Degree Days This Season. 2387 +135 Varies widely from location to location. courtesy of the NWS
Precipitation: Seasonal total for Fresno 17.48, Monthly .00
Precipitation for Bakersfield: Season: 9.74, Monthly: .00
Average Temperature This Month 51.3 -5.5 Taken NWS Hanford.
Water year season is from October 1st through September 30.
Chilling Hours November 1st Through February 28: Parlier 1306, Arvin 1115, Belridge 1204, Shafter 1230, Stratford 1277, Delano 1273, Porterville 1245 courtesy UC Davis
Sunrise 6:41, sunset, 7:24. hours of daylight, 12.41
Yesterday’s Weather: H L R
MCE : Merced 153 : DH1700 / 64 / 45 / 0.00 /
MAE : Madera 253 : DH1700 / 66 / 41 / 0.00 /
FAT : Fresno Airport 333 : DH1600 / 61 / 47 / 0.00 /
HJO : Hanford Airport 242 : DH1700 / 72 / 46 / 0.00 /
NLC : Lemoore Naval AS 234 : DH1700 / 70 / 45 / 0.00 /
BFL : Bakersfield Airport 496 : DHM / 59 / 47 / 0.00 /
VIS : Visalia Airport 292 : DH1600 / 58 / 43 / 0.00 /
ATEC1 : Avenal 787 : DHM / M / M / M /
PTV : Porterville Airport 442 : DH1600 / 60 / 40 / 0.00 /
TFTC1 : Taft 759 : DH1653 / 68 / 49 / 0.00 /
LOSC1 : Los Banos 120 : DH1600 / 66 / 48 / M /
STOCKTON 0.00 22.73 194 9.04 77 11.69 13.45
MODESTO 0.00 19.25 183 8.76 83 10.50 12.27
MERCED 0.00 20.04 199 6.69 67 10.06 11.80
MADERA 0.00 M M 1.64 18 9.32 10.79
FRESNO 0.00 17.48 188 5.99 64 9.31 10.99
HANFORD 0.00 14.48 207 5.80 83 7.00 8.13
BAKERSFIELD 0.00 9.74 178 5.01 92 5.47 6.36
BISHOP 0.00 13.66 348 4.75 121 3.92 4.84
DEATH VALLEY NP 0.00 1.06 65 M M 1.63 2.20
SALINAS T 13.70 122 6.87 61 11.19 12.58
PASO ROBLES 0.00 20.51 184 8.48 76 11.13 12.15
SANTA MARIA 0.00 23.18 194 7.40 62 11.97 13.32
Next report: April 4 am
At John Hibler Weather Forecasting, it is our goal to provide the most accurate forecasts available. Weather forecasting, unlike any other business, invites errors. Weather, by nature, is chaotic. It is our goal to be as accurate as humanly possible.