December 24, 2023
Summary: Visibilities this morning are generally in the 3 to 4 mile range. however, Visalia was down to 1.25 and Madera 1.50. satellite imagery showed clouds above the haze and fog which inhibited fog from becoming widespread. The next Pacific storm to affect central California will move through late Wednesday and Wednesday night. models still indicate that this system will lose much of its upper air support as it moves down the valley. The best chance of rain will be north of Fresno County with only a minimal amount of sprinkles or light showers south of that line. A ridge of upper level high pressure will fill in behind this system for dry weather through Thursday night. the next weather system is stronger. Models show this storm will have better dynamics so the risk of precipitation late Friday into Saturday is considerably higher. Light showers should make it all the way south into Kern County with the possibility of .25 totals from Fresno County north. Dry weather will return by Saturday night although it’s possible a few sprinkles could fall as far south as Merced County from a system moving through northern California.
Forecast; Areas of fog this morning with low clouds, otherwise it will be partly cloudy through Wednesday morning. increasing cloudiness Wednesday. A chance of showers Wednesday night, mostly from Fresno County north. Mostly clear to occasionally partly cloudy Thursday with areas of morning fog. Partly cloudy Thursday night with areas of fog. Increasing cloudiness Friday with a chance of rain by late afternoon from Fresno County north. Periods of showers Friday night and Saturday morning. partly cloudy Saturday afternoon. Partly cloudy Sunday through Tuesday with areas of night and morning fog and low clouds.
| Madera 62/41/64/41/66` | Reedley 63/39/64/40/65 | Dinuba 60/40/63/39/64 |
| Porterville 63/39/64/41/66 | Lindsay 63/38/63/42/65 | Delano 63/42/64/43/66 |
| Bakersfield 64/45/64/45/66 | Taft 59/49/61/50/63 | Arvin 64/43/64/44/65 |
| Lamont 63/43/64/42/65 | Pixley 62/42/64/41/66 | Tulare 59/39/63/41/65 |
| Woodlake 61/38/63/41/65 | Hanford 62/40/63/42/64 | Orosi 60/38/63/41/64 |
Seven Day Forecast
| Friday Pm rain possible 42/66 | Saturday Am showers 46/67 | Sunday Am fog/partly cloudy 42/62 | Monday Am fog/partly cloudy 39/59 | Tuesday Am fog/partly cloudy 36/50 |
Two Week Outlook: January 2 through January 8 This model shows a westerly flow across the Pacific and into California. This is typically a mild pattern with above average temperatures. The risk of precipitation is fairly high with this pattern
December: This model continues to favor above average temperatures during the month of December. There’s no trend either way for rainfall, so average amounts of precipitation is our forecast.
December, January, February: If this model has any credence, this winter will experience above average temperatures. This model also favors above average rainfall for the next 90 days.
Wind Discussion: Winds will be at or less than 6 mph with periods of near calm conditions through Friday
Rain Discussion: There will be two chances of measurable rain this week. the first system will move through here Wednesday night. this system will lose a lot of its upper air support as it moves southward. Light showers will be possible, mainly from Fresno County north and even areas north of Fresno will likely only record .10 or less. the second storm will arrive late Friday afternoon from Fresno County north. Showers will spread down the valley Friday night, lasting through Saturday morning. on paper, it appears this system will spread precipitation down the entire valley. Rainfall amounts from fresno county north could range from .25 to .50. locations south of Fresno County should pick up a tenth or two. Dry weather will return Saturday night. weak systems will head into northern California Sunday through Tuesday with a slight chance of showers from Merced County north. But by and large, most of the energy will remain in northern California.
Frost Discussion: All locations will remain above 32 degrees and every night through the remainder of the week. both medium and long range forecasts show a west to northwest flow across the eastern Pacific and into north America. Some clearing should occur Monday and Tuesday of next week and lower 30s will be possible in the coldest locations. For now, the combination of fog and low clouds and occasional higher clouds will keep conditions above the freezing point. It appears temperatures will remain above freezing through the first week of the New Year.
Mid afternoon dew points: Low to mid 30s. Kern: Upper 20s to the lower 30s.
ET for the past seven days: Stratford, .16, Parlier, .17, Arvin .19, Delano .16.
Soil temperatures: Stratford 56, Parlier 55, Arvin 55, Delano 54
Average Temperatures: 54/36, Record Temperatures: 72/20
Heating Degree Days Season. 653 -261 varies widely from location to location. courtesy of the NWS
Precipitation: Seasonal total for Fresno .73, Monthly .52
Precipitation for Bakersfield: Season: .79, Monthly: .47
Average Temperature this Month 51.6 +5.6 taken at NWS Hanford.
Water year season is from October 1st through September 30.
Chilling Hours November 1st through February 28: Parlier, 434 Arvin, 349 Belridge, 376 Shafter, 385 Stratford, 400 Delano 401. Courtesy UC Davis
Sunrise, 7:10. Sunset, 4:49 hours of daylight, 9:39
NA=Not available
Yesterday’s Weather:
MCE : Merced AP 153 : 60 / 41 / 0.00 /
MAE : Madera AP 253 : 60 / 43 / 0.00 /
FAT : Fresno AP 333 : 61 / 47 / 0.00 /
HJO : Hanford AP 242 : 61 / 44 / 0.00 /
NLC : Lemoore NAS 234 : 61 / 41 / 0.00 /
BFL : Bakersfield AP 496 : 60 / 44 / 0.00 /
NID : China Lake NAWS 2283 : 60 / 40 / 0.00 /
VIS : Visalia AP 292 : 61 / 44 / 0.00 /
Rainfall: 24hr seas. % L.Y % S.Ave. 365
MERCED 0.00 2.33 74 3.77 120 3.15 11.80
MADERA 0.00 1.45 52 2.04 73 2.80 10.79
FRESNO 0.00 0.73 26 3.25 116 2.81 10.99
HANFORD 0.00 1.01 48 2.34 110 2.12 8.13
BAKERSFIELD 0.00 0.79 48 1.10 67 1.64 6.36
BISHOP 0.00 0.61 54 2.15 192 1.12 4.84
DEATH VALLEY NP 0.00 0.28 67 0.03 7 0.42 2.20
SALINAS 0.00 1.78 50 3.77 106 3.55 12.58
PASO ROBLES 0.00 4.64 158 4.34 148 2.94 12.15
SANTA MARIA 0.00 2.48 77 3.27 102 3.21 13.32
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Next report: December 26, afternoon
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.