January 11, 2024
Summary: The latest Pacific cold front moved down the valley overnight. Rainfall amounts were generally between .10 and .25 north of Kern County and generally less than .10 over Kern County. The front had moved into southern California and will move rapidly eastward, allowing upper level high pressure to begin to build in from the west. Gusty northwesterly winds are moving down the valley at this hour. Winds at Hanford as of 5:00am were sustained at 15 mph, gusting to 29. The air mass moving in is similar to what we experienced earlier in the week. Widespread frost will occur tonight and possibly Saturday morning as well. More in the frost discussion below. The next weather system will arrive Saturday and Saturday night. This storm’s origins are from a lower latitude, so snow levels in the mountains will be considerably higher. This system will also be fairly weak so just light showers can be expected, mainly north of Kern County. After this system shifts eastward, upper level high pressure will begin moving in from the west. Models show a large high anchored over the eastern Pacific, driving the storm track well to the north. Territory east of the Rockies will end up in a deep freeze. Current medium range models keep the high in place all the way through next weekend. The main challenge will be to try to keep ahead of the fog monster.
Forecast: Mostly clear skies today but remaining partly cloudy in Kern County and eastern Tulare County. Mostly clear to occasionally partly cloudy tonight. Mostly clear after areas of morning fog Friday morning. partly cloudy Friday night. Increasing cloudiness Saturday morning. A chance of showers Saturday afternoon and Saturday night. partly cloudy Sunday. Mostly clear to occasionally partly cloudy Sunday night through Thursday with increasing amounts of night and morning fog and low clouds.
| Madera 51/29/53/29/53 | Reedley 52//29/52/30/53 | Dinuba 51/28/52/29/52 |
| Porterville 53/29/53/30/54 | Lindsay 52/28/53/29/54 | Delano 52/29/53/30/55 |
| Bakersfield 51/33/53/32/57 | Taft 49/35//51/36/54 | Arvin 51/31/53//32/54 |
| Lamont 53/32/53/32/54 | Pixley 51/29/53//31/53 | Tulare 51/28/53/29/54 |
| Woodlake 52/28/53/28/54 | Hanford 53/29/54/31/54 | Orosi 52/28/53/30/54 |
Seven Day Forecast
| Sunday Partly cloudy 35/53 | Monday Am fog/pm sun 35/57 | Tuesday Am fog/pm sun 34/57 | Wednesday Am fog/pm sun 35/60 | Thursday Am fog/pm sun 36/60 |
Two Week Outlook: January 17 through January 23: This model shows a milder westerly flow becoming more dominant. This will result in somewhat above average temperatures. The Pacific storm track will be further south so there’s a better than even chance of above average precipitation during this period.
January: This model shows above average temperatures over California. It also reflects an El Nino type pattern with above average rainfall over all of California. The highest risk of above average rainfall will be over northern California. Temperatures should be somewhat above average.
January, February, March This model also has an El Nino signature to it. There are two areas of above average rain depicted. First is California and the interior west. The second is the south eastern US. Temperatures for the next three months should be above average.
Rain Discussion: Expect dry weather through Saturday morning. the last weather system in this series will threaten showers Saturday afternoon and night. Like its predecessors, any precipitation will be quite light, ranging to just a tenth or two mainly north of Kern County. After Saturday night. a prolonged period of dry weather will begin. A blocking ridge pattern will prevail, keeping dry conditions through next week and possibly into the following week.
Frost Discussion: Gusty northwesterly winds are currently moving down the valley behind last night’s frontal passage. This air mass is similar to the one earlier in the week which resulted in widespread upper 20s and lower 30s. So far, satellite imagery indicates upsloping clouds are quite limited, indicating the air mass behind this system is fairly dry. During the earlier part of the night, wind will also be a factor, diminishing after midnight. Coldest locations could chill down to 25 to 27 tonight. Most flatland locations will range between 25 and 31. Hillsides will range in the low to mid 30s. tonight’s inversion will be weak, generally ranging from 2 to 5 degrees warmer, although that may improve later in the night. On Saturday morning, conditions could be just as cold, however cloud cover shows up on some models, moving in later in the night. This could slow the radiational cooling process with temperatures ranging in the upper 20s at the very coldest locations to the low to mid 30s elsewhere. Temperatures Sunday and Monday will be above freezing due to the latest system to move through with clouds and showers. Beyond Monday, temperatures will generally range in the 30s. fog and low clouds could become a challenge.
Lows Tonight:
| Terra Bella 29 | Porterville 28 | Ivanhoe 29 | Woodlake 29 |
| Strathmore 28 | McFarland 29 | Ducor 28 | Tea pot dome 29 |
| Lindsay 28 | Exeter 27 | Famoso 29 | Madera 29 |
| Belridge 28 | Delano 29 | North Bakersfield 31 | Orosi 28 |
| Orange cove 28 | Lindcove 27 | Lindcove Hillside 32 | Sanger river bottom 25 |
| Root creek 26 | Venice hill 29 | Rosedale 30 | Jasmine 29 |
| Arvin 30 | Lamont 31 | Plainview 28 | Mettler 30 |
| Edison 31 | Maricopa 29 | Holland creek 31 | Tivy Valley 28 |
| Kite Road South 31 | Kite Road North 28 |
AF=Above Freezing
Mid afternoon dew points: Low to mid 30s. Kern: Upper 20s to the lower 30s.
ET for the past seven days: Stratford, .34, Parlier, .29, Arvin .30, Delano .32.
Soil temperatures: Stratford 54, Parlier 50, Arvin 51, Delano 47
Average Temperatures: 55/37, Record Temperatures: 74/19
Heating Degree Days Season. 913 -308 varies widely from location to location. courtesy of the NWS
Precipitation: Seasonal total for Fresno .1.62, Monthly .73
Precipitation for Bakersfield: Season: 1.14, Monthly: .18
Average Temperature this Month 45.2 -0.8 taken at NWS Hanford.
Water year season is from October 1st through September 30.
Chilling Hours November 1st through February 28: Parlier, 563 Arvin, 491 Belridge, 491 Shafter, 537 Stratford, 532 Delano 563. Courtesy UC Davis
Sunrise, 7:11. Sunset, 5:03 hours of daylight, 9:50
NA=Not available
Yesterday’s Weather:
MCE : Merced AP 153 : 55 / 42 / 0.08 /
MAE : Madera AP 253 : 56 / 41 / 0.11 /
FAT : Fresno AP 333 : 55 / 43 / 0.21 /
HJO : Hanford AP 242 : 59 / 45 / 0.07 /
NLC : Lemoore NAS 234 : 62 / 44 / 0.05 /
BFL : Bakersfield AP 496 : 53 / 45 / 0.06 /
VIS : Visalia AP 292 : 57 / 42 / 0.06 /
PTV : Porterville AP 442 : 56 / 41 / 0.14 /
Rainfall:
STOCKTON T 4.16 78 12.59 235 5.36 13.45
MODESTO T 4.37 94 10.90 233 4.67 12.27
MERCED T 3.57 82 10.78 249 4.33 11.80
MADERA 0.00 2.49 65 4.10 106 3.85 10.79
FRESNO 0.00 1.42 36 8.23 208 3.95 10.99
HANFORD 0.00 1.81 60 6.06 200 3.03 8.13
BAKERSFIELD 0.00 1.14 50 3.53 154 2.29 6.36
BISHOP 0.00 0.61 35 8.02 461 1.74 4.84
DEATH VALLEY NP 0.00 0.41 71 0.32 55 0.58 2.20
SALINAS 0.01 3.11 65 7.72 161 4.79 12.58
PASO ROBLES 0.00 6.49 151 11.03 257 4.30 12.15
SANTA MARIA 0.00 3.70 80 11.60 251 4.62 13.32