April 5, 2024
Summary The center of circulation of a very cold upper low is right above the northern San Joaquin Valley at this hour. The latest balloon sounding over Oakland is telling. The freezing level is all the way down to 3,400 feet, which easily lowers the snow level down to the foothills. There is a chance for showers this morning. that chance will become likely this afternoon through the early evening hours as daytime heating volatizes an already unstable air mass. Showers will develop this afternoon along with a chance of thunderstorms. Thunderstorm activity will be accompanied by locally heavy rain and small hail. The low will begin to pull into the Great Basin tonight with dry weather beginning Saturday and lasting for at least the next week. Another low, this one much weaker, will move through California over the weekend. There will be a chance of showers over the Sierra Nevada however the valley will remain dry. Upper level high pressure will begin to fill in from the west Monday, resulting in a steady warming trend next week. By the time Thursday and Friday roll around, temperatures will have risen into the low to mid 80s. longer range models show the high weakening somewhat. Even so, dry weather will continue with somewhat above average temperatures.
Forecast A chance of showers this morning, becoming likely this afternoon. There is also a chance of isolated thunderstorms during the afternoon and early evening. Showers ending by late evening. Becoming mostly to partly cloudy late tonight. Partly cloudy Saturday through Sunday. Mostly clear Sunday and on through Friday of next week.
Short Term:
| Madera 57/35/62/36/64 | Reedley 58/36/63/37/65 | Dinuba 56/36/62/37/64 |
| Porterville 56/38/63/36/65 | Lindsay 56/36/62/37/64 | Delano 57/38/61/39/63 |
| Bakersfield 57/39/62/41/65 | Taft 55/40/57/43/60 | Arvin 57/40/62/39/65 |
| Lamont 57/39/62/40/66 | Pixley 56/35/62/38/64 | Tulare 55/34/61/37/63 |
| Woodlake 56/36/61/38/63 | Hanford 57/38/62/39/65 | Orosi 56/35/62/38/63 |
Seven Day Forecast
| Monday Mostly clear 39/65 | Tuesday Mostly clear 43/68 | Wednesday Mostly clear 43/76 | Thursday Mostly clear 48/83 | Friday Mostly clear 52/86 |
Two Week Forecast: April 12 through April 18: This model is indicating a fairly dominant ridge of high pressure will be over California. The chance of rain appears to be very low during this period while temperatures will be above average.
Thirty Day Report: This model gives equal chances of above and below average temperatures for the month of April. The chance of precipitation is slightly above average for the month.
Ninety Day Report: As we enter the dry season, this model predicts precipitation will be above or below average. There is no real trend to grab onto so temperatures are expected to be near seasonal average.
Winds: Winds will be mainly out of the northwest at around 8 to 15 mph through this evening. Gusts as high as 30 mph are possible in the vicinity of thunderstorms. For Saturday through Monday, expect winds during the afternoons and early evenings to be out of the northwest at around 8 to 15 mph. Winds during the night and morning hours will be variable to 5 mph with periods of near calm conditions.
Rain: Here are a few local storm totals as of 4:00am: Bakersfield .13, Porterville .15, Exeter .17, Hanford .09, Lemoore .03, Kettleman .03, Dinuba .23, Reedley .12, Fresno .25, Madera .27, Merced .55.
There is a chance of showers this morning, becoming likely this afternoon through the evening hours. There will also be a chance of isolated thunderstorms which could result in localized heavy rain and small hail. Dry weather will return by late this evening and continue for at least the next week and more than likely beyond.
Frost The pool of air over the valley is extremely cold for this time of year. The freezing level taken a short time ago above Oakland was just 3,400 feet. Fortunately, there has been plenty of moisture with this system which will help maintain above freezing conditions tonight through Monday morning. most locations tonight will range between 33 and 40. It is possible that, under certain conditions, areas near river bottoms could dip down to 30 to 31 for short durations. After Monday morning, building high pressure will result in a warming trend for above freezing temperatures for all of next week. medium range models indicate above average temperatures so no problem with frost is seen at this time.
Mid afternoon dew points: Mid to upper 40s. Kern: Mid to upper 40s
ET for the past seven days: Stratford, .89, Parlier, .89, Arvin 1.07, Delano .1.01.
Soil temperatures: Stratford 58, Parlier 62, Arvin NA, Delano 64
Average Temperatures: 71/46, Record Temperatures: 92/34
Heating Degree Days Season. 1732 -542 varies widely from location to location. courtesy of the NWS
Precipitation: Seasonal total for Fresno 8.50, Monthly ..21
Precipitation for Bakersfield: Season: 6.07, Monthly: .12
Average Temperature this Month 59.5 +0.5 taken at NWS Hanford.
Water year season is from October 1st through September 30.
Chilling Hours November 1st through February 28: Parlier, 793 Arvin, 692 Belridge, 690 Shafter, 741 Stratford, 784 Delano 783. Courtesy UC Davis
Sunrise, 6:37. Sunset, 7:26, hours of daylight, 12:47
NA=Not available
Yesterday’s Weather:
MCE : Merced 153 : DH1700 / 58 / 45 / 0.22 /
MAE : Madera 253 : DH1700 / 58 / 41 / 0.22 /
FAT : Fresno Airport 333 : DH1700 / 60 / 44 / 0.19 /
HJO : Hanford Airport 242 : DH1700 / 63 / 51 / 0.01 /
NLC : Lemoore Naval AS 234 : DH1700 / 62 / 47 / 0.02 /
BFL : Bakersfield Airport 496 : DH1700 / 63 / 48 / 0.12 /
VIS : Visalia Airport 292 : DH1700 / 57 / 50 / M /
PTV : Porterville Airport 442 : DH1700 / 54 / 48 / 0.08 /
TFTC1 : Taft 759 : DH1654 / 66 / 46 / 0.00 /
LOSC1 : Los Banos 120 : DH1600 / 56 / 44 / 0.02 /
Rainfall: 24hr 2024 % l.y. % ave Yearly ave
STOCKTON 0.25 12.00 102 22.73 193 11.80 13.45
MODESTO 0.01 15.18 143 19.71 186 10.59 12.27
MERCED 0.22 13.16 130 20.08 198 10.16 11.80
MADERA 0.22 8.53 91 10.83 115 9.40 10.79
FRESNO 0.19 8.48 90 17.48 186 9.41 10.99
HANFORD 0.01 7.26 103 14.48 205 7.07 8.13
BAKERSFIELD 0.12 6.07 110 9.74 176 5.53 6.36
BISHOP 0.00 4.44 112 13.66 346 3.95 4.84
DEATH VALLEY NP 0.00 2.93 179 1.06 65 1.64 2.20
SALINAS 0.34 13.35 118 13.70 121 11.29 12.58
PASO ROBLES 0.10 16.41 146 20.51 183 11.21 12.15
SANTA MARIA 0.14 14.66 121 23.18 192 12.08 13.32