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January 9, 2024

January 9, 2024

Summary: Weak high pressure still covers the southern 2/3 of California while a dying frontal band tries to work its way into northern California. A few sprinkles are falling over the Sacramento Valley, but central California will remain rain free through most of Wednesday. A fast moving trough of low pressure will move through Wednesday night and Thursday morning, spreading light showers down the valley late Wednesday into early Thursday. The northerly origins of this storm mean it will not carry much water, although some models have increased precipitation amounts to around a tenth or two north of Kern County and less than a tenth of an inch over the Kern County  portion of the valley. Like its predecessor, this system is quite cold with snow levels dropping to between 2,000 and 3,000 feet by early Thursday morning. Upper level high pressure will again take shape as early as Thursday afternoon and will dominate our weather through Friday night. a milder Pacific disturbance will sag southward into northern California Saturday. Current models keep the rain line north of central California, however it is a close call so we’ll keep a slight chance of showers in the forecast Saturday and Saturday night north of Kern County. Models are continuing  the trend of a strong high building over the eastern Pacific and the western 1/3 of the US. The GFS model is showing temperatures in the 60s by Wednesday.

Forecast: Increasing cloudiness tonight. Mostly cloudy Wednesday with light showers becoming likely by early evening. Light rain likely at times by Wednesday night, ending by 2:00am. Mostly cloudy Thursday morning, clearing during the afternoon. Partly cloudy Thursday night, becoming mostly clear Friday and Friday night. variable cloudiness Saturday through Sunday with a slight chance of light showers from Fresno County north. Partly cloudy Sunday night through Tuesday with areas of night and morning fog.  

Short Term:                                                                                                              

Madera 34/51/35/50Reedley 35/52/35/51Dinuba 33/53/36/49
Porterville 33/51/35/50Lindsay 33/52/34/50Delano 35/51/37/49
Bakersfield 39/51/38/49Taft 41/50/39/49Arvin 34/52/35/49
Lamont 34/50/35/48Pixley 35/51/35/49Tulare 33/50/35/48
Woodlake 34/53/35/50Hanford 34/52/37/52Orosi 33/52/34/49

Winds:  Winds will be generally at or less than 6 mph with periods of near calm conditions through tonight. Winds Wednesday will be mainly out of the east/southeast at 8 to 15 mph. winds Wednesday night will be mainly out of the northwest at mainly 8 to 15 mph continuing Thursday. Winds Thursday night and Friday will be light to near calm.   

Rain: Dry weather will continue through at least most of Wednesday. Areas of precipitation will begin to overspread the northern part of the valley, moving rapidly down the valley during the evening. Models are pointing to wetter conditions than they had previously. North of Kern County, anywhere from .12 to .24 is possible and generally no more than a tenth of an inch over the valley portion of Kern County. Precipitation will spread eastward and southward out of the area by the early morning hours Thursday. A milder system will move through central California Saturday and Saturday night. We’ll keep just a slight chance of showers in the forecast, mainly north of Fresno. For the third day in a row, models are indicating a dry pattern beginning early next week and lasting all the way through next weekend.

Frost: All locations will be above 32 degrees tonight but near to slightly above in the coldest locations. Models also point to temperatures in the 30s Thursday, as well. Another shot of cold air will move in behind Wednesday night and Thursday morning’s weather system. It appears the characteristics of this air mass will be similar to the air mass we just experienced. Lows Friday morning will likely drop into the upper 20s to the lower 30s with the coldest locations possibly falling to 26 to 27. Cloud cover may play a role Friday morning. Sometimes these upslope clouds mix out and sometimes they don’t. For now, we’ll go with the clear sky forecast. At this point, it appears Saturday and Sunday will have a great deal of cloud cover, keeping temperatures in the 30s both days. Latest models continue to show a much milder pattern beginning Monday as a strong ridge of upper level high pressure builds over and off the west coast. Some models are showing high temperatures eclipsing the 60 degree mark. This is also an ideal pattern for an increased amount of night and morning fog which could have a profound effect on temperatures. At any rate, next week will be safe.