January 29, 2024
Earlier this morning, rain was falling on less than one-percent of the lower 48. It’s rare to see little to no rain falling over the lower 48 coast to coast. Strong upper level high pressure over Nevada will begin to shift eastward over the next 36 hours. Satellite imagery this afternoon depicts very well a deep low off the coast of the _Pacific Northwest. Trailing off this low is an atmospheric river, better known in these parts as the pineapple express. This will begin to soak central California late Wednesday night through Friday. Quantitative precipitation estimates for late Wednesday night through Friday spits out a number of .97 for Porterville. A second powerful Pacific storm may result in another pineapple express event Monday through Tuesday night. precipitation estimates for this system show .80 for Porterville. Higher amounts can be expected near the foothills with lesser amounts along the west side and in Kern County due to rain shadows. A complex pattern will develop next week along the California coast. From Monday through Thursday, a low will park along either the central or southern California coast with periodic episodes of rain during this entire time frame. Models for next weekend and beyond also look active with possible colder type storms.
Forecast, mostly clear and unusually warm through Tuesday with areas of fog overnight. Partly cloudy Tuesday night. increasing cloudiness Wednesday with a chance of rain along the west side by evening. Rain at times Thursday through Friday, possibly locally heavy at times. Showers Friday night. partly cloudy Saturday and Saturday night. rain becoming likely again Sunday and at times through Monday.
Short Term:
| Madera 47/74/47/70 | Reedley 46/73/46/71 | Dinuba 46/72/48/70 |
| Porterville 46/75/48/73 | Lindsay 46/74/47/72 | Delano 49/76/50/74 |
| Bakersfield 50/75/51/73 | Taft 51/70/52/68 | Arvin 49/76/49/73 |
| Lamont 50/74/48/72 | Pixley 48/74/47/71 | Tulare 47/72/47/71 |
| Woodlake 46/73/47/70 | Hanford 48/73/50/72 | Orosi 46/72/47/70 |
Winds: Dry weather will continue through most of the day Wednesday. It’s possible rain may show up as early as Wednesday afternoon along the west side, spreading over the rest of the valley Wednesday and continuing on and off through Thursday night. Showers will continue Friday with a break on Saturday. The chance of rain will begin to increase once again Sunday. Rainfall amounts along the east side north of Kern County should tally up to around an inch to a half an inch or so. Along western Fresno and kings Counties, amounts will generally range between .60 and .90. rainfall amounts for the valley portion of Kern County will be a half inch or less. Rain will continue on and off next week as well.
Rain: Two monster storms will affect the growing area. The first will affect us from Wednesday night through Friday with the second between Sunday and Tuesday of next week. the first event has already developed a pineapple connection, meaning heavy rain for the foothill and mountain regions along with snow in the higher altitudes. Precipitation estimates for the valley for the first event generally fall between three-quarters and one and a half inches. Rain shadows will definitely be evident with this system as they are typically during strong winter storms. Even between these two monster systems will be a chance of showers at any given time with the possible exception of Saturday. The new two week model is also showing a strong signature for above average precipitation, so it appears the first half of February will be wet.
Frost: Models show the colder sector of this first winter storm funneling into the valley this Friday and Saturday. Models show temperatures in the 30s for the first time in quite a while as this warm winter continues. Under certain conditions, there’s a chance certain locations, such as river bottom sites, could chill into the upper 20s for short durations. By then, the valley will again be soaking wet with abundant ground moisture, so widespread below freezing temperatures are not anticipated. The overall pattern for the first ten days in February will be active which will keep temperatures above freezing, barring something unforeseen.