Summary: Clear skies prevail over central California as of midday. Temperatures are generally in the low to mid 60s with dewpoints mostly in the low to mid 40s. with mostly clear skies tonight, patchy fog will no doubt form with many locations dipping into the mid to upper 30s and the traditional cold pockets in the lower 30s. currently, a weak ridge has followed yesterday’s frontal system and will dominate our pattern through Thursday. The next trough will be dry and will move through the valley Thursday night and Friday morning with several hours of increased cloudiness. It will also keep temperatures near seasonal levels through Friday. A stronger ridge of upper level high pressure will push in from the west Saturday through Monday, driving temperatures into the mid 70s. Models continue to show a rather dynamic storm system pinching off from a trough of low pressure in the Gulf of Alaska and forming what could morph into a full blown winter storm. Frequently, when strong Pacific storms approach California, they slow down and that’s how models are handling the progress of this system, pushing back potential rain to Wednesday night and Thursday. Models also show a strong surface flow with this system which could potentially generate some strong, gusty winds in the south and west valley as significant differences in pressure develop between a strong low off shore and higher pressure over southern California. This system will move slowly so there will be a chance of precipitation through at least Friday. A second low will approach the coast a week from this coming Sunday for the possibility of another chance of precipitation.
Forecast: Mostly clear skies through Thursday with patchy fog Thursday morning. Variable cloudiness Thursday night and early Friday. Mostly clear Friday afternoon through Monday night. Increasing cloudiness Tuesday. Mostly cloudy Tuesday night. A chance of rain late Tuesday.
Short Term:
| Madera 35/66/38/67 | Reedley 36/68/39/67 | Dinuba 35/67/39/67 | |
| Porterville 34/67/37/66 | Lindsay 33/66/37/67 | Delano 37/68/39/66 | |
| Bakersfield 42/69/42/67 | Taft 44/64/46/63 | Arvin 38/67/40/66 | |
| Lamont 39/67/40/68 | Pixley 34/65/38/66 | Tulare 33/66/38/67 | |
| Woodlake 35/66/38/67 | Hanford 36/66/38/67 | Orosi 34/66/38/67 | |
Winds: Winds through Monday will be generally at or less than 7 mph with periods of near calm conditions. We’ll have to take a close look at Wednesday through Friday of next week for a possible strong wind pattern for the south valley. Strong differences in pressure show up on surface models between off shore northern and central California and the interior. This configuration has spawned strong, gusty winds in the past so we’ll study future modeling to discern the possibilities for that time frame.
Rain: Dry weather will continue through probably at least Tuesday night. Frequently, this far out from a potential rain event, the progress of the rain is slowed down by models. Models have now slowed up the potential for rain for the valley until at least Wednesday with possible wet weather through Friday. This is the type of system that will generate strong rain shadows in the south and east portions of the valley, but can also bring heavy precipitation up and down the Sierra Nevada. This is the second day in a row models have hinted at the possibility of rain coming up a week from Sunday into Monday.
Frost: Temperatures as of 1 pm are in the low to mid 60s while dew points are in the low to mid 40s. With mostly clear skies tonight, most locations will range in the mid 30s to near 40. The usual chilly low spots may briefly brush with the lower 30s before sunrise. This same pattern will continue through Sunday morning. Next week, all locations will be above 32 under a strong southwesterly flow early in the week and active weather from Wednesday and beyond.
Next report: November 9/morning