January 16, 2024
Summary: A thick layer of fog and low clouds is hanging off the deck. The visibility of most locations has improved to about 2 miles. The base of the overcast at Bakersfield was just 600 feet, 300 feet at Porterville and Visalia and 500 feet at Fresno. A weak low center is located just off the central Oregon coast. The bottom side of this trough will drag through central California tonight and early Wednesday. There’s a reasonable chance of light showers from Fresno County north tonight and early Wednesday. That chance will drop off pretty quickly south of Fresno County. The chance of measurable rain over the valley portion of Kern County is very much in doubt. A weak high will quickly build in behind this system during the day Wednesday and will dominate our weather through Friday. A zonal flow will set up tomorrow night through Monday night. this time around, it will park a low center in the Gulf of Alaska while the jets stream moves from west to east over the eastern Pacific. This pattern is one that can bring significant rain to central California. High resolution models indicate anywhere from .75 to 1.50 of rain could accumulate between Friday night and Monday evening north of Kern County. Beginning Tuesday night of next week, a ridge of high pressure will build along the west coast for a return to dry weather and no doubt challenges with fog each morning.
Forecast: Light showers will be likely tonight from Fresno County north. A chance of light showers in Kings and Tulare Counties with a slight chance in Kern County. A chance of light showers north of Kern County Wednesday morning. areas of low clouds and fog Thursday through Friday, otherwise it will be partly cloudy. A chance of light showers mainly north of Kern County Friday evening. Showers likely at times Saturday through Monday night. a chance of showers Tuesday morning. Becoming partly cloudy in the afternoon.
Short Term:
| Madera 43/63/41/64 | Reedley 44/63/42/63 | Dinuba 43/63/40/63 |
| Porterville 45/63/43/63 | Lindsay 42/62/41/63 | Delano 45/62/45/64 |
| Bakersfield 46/63/46/66 | Taft 52/62/50/63 | Arvin 44/63/43/65 |
| Lamont 45/64/42/64 | Pixley 44/63/44/65 | Tulare 42/62/40/63 |
| Woodlake 42/62/42/64 | Hanford 45/62/45/63 | Orosi 41/62/41/64 |
Winds: Winds will be generally at or less than 6 mph and variable in nature through Friday.
Rain: Doppler radar is indicting light showers have spread over northern California as of midday. The parent low is moving from west to east over Oregon with a trough stretching downward to the central coast. This trough will spread light showers from Fresno County northward tonight and Wednesday morning. models this afternoon indicate the system will lose its upper air support as it moves southward through the valley. Precipitation amounts from this event will be quite light with no more than a tenth or two from Fresno County north. Expect dry weather Wednesday afternoon through much of Friday. The chance of rain will again increase by Friday night from Fresno County north, spreading southward by early Saturday. This particular pattern is especially beneficial for the Sierra Nevada. These storms will be moving from west to east across central California with a good chance of significant rain and high elevation snow. Models suggest 2 to 3 inches of rain is possible along the Sierra Nevada from Tulare County north with as much as .75 on the valley floor north of Tulare County. Kern County could pick up as much as .50. Dry weather will return about a week from today and will last for several days as high pressure becomes reestablished.
Frost: Expect above freezing temperatures for at least the next 7 days