February 8, 2024
Summary: The upper low and associated cold front came through more energized than expected last night. rainfall amounts ranged between a half and one inch. That low is now moving into northwest Arizona and is being followed by a cold northerly flow. The freezing level taken overnight above Oakland was just 3,800 feet while over Vandenburg the balloon sounding was just 3,600 feet. Upslope conditions will keep snow showers going over the Kern County mountains through the morning. A ridge of upper level high pressure is running from north to south just off shore from off the California coast to off the coast of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest. The high will push inland beginning Friday and will dominate our weather through Tuesday, meaning we have several days of dry weather coming up. The GFS model is indicating a chance of rain over northern California Wednesday with possibly a stronger system affecting central California around Friday of next week. These models are somewhat different than what they were the past few days. The two week model, which extends from the 15th through the 21st is also pointing to wet weather.
Forecast: Becoming partly cloudy today through Friday night with patchy fog during the overnight hours. Mostly clear to occasionally partly cloudy Saturday through Thursday with increasing cloudiness Thursday.
Short Term:
| Madera 53/34/55/35/56 | Reedley 54/34/54/34/57 | Dinuba 53/32/54/32/56 |
| Porterville 53/34/54/33/57 | Lindsay 52/32/54/32/56 | Delano 54/34/54/34/57 |
| Bakersfield 52/39/54/38/56 | Taft 52/40/52/53/54 | Arvin 52/35/54/35/57 |
| Lamont 53/38/54/38/56 | Pixley 53/33/55/33/56 | Tulare 52/32/54/32/55 |
| Woodlake 53/33/54/33/56 | Hanford 54/35/54/34/56 | Orosi 53/32/54/32/56 |
Seven Day Forecast
| Sunday Mostly clear 36/58 | Monday Mostly clear 35/61 | Tuesday Mostly clear 36/62 | Wednesday Mostly clear 39/63 | Thursday Increasing clouds 40/67 |
Two Week Forecast: February 15 through February 21: This model is reverting back to a wet forecast for the southern 2/3 of California. Not only does the forecast a wet period, but it also shows temperatures rising above average.
Thirty Day Report: This model depicts temperatures near to marginally above average during this time frame. A good chance of above average precipitation will continue through the month as the El Nino pattern continues.
Ninety Day Report: This model favors the storm track being much further south than in most years, resulting in above average precipitation. temperatures on this model are also negligibly above average.
Winds: Winds will be generally in the 5 to 12 mph range through Sunday. Local gusts to 20 mph are possible near showers today and tonight.
Rain: Except for a few lingering showers in the south valley early this morning, dry weather will prevail, at least through the middle of next week. one of the medium range models is indicating there’s a chance of rain from Fresno north about Wednesday or Thursday of next week while another model indicates there’s a chance of rain around the 17th.
Frost: A very cold low dropped through central California overnight, dumping anywhere from one half to one inch of rain. The low, which will move into northwest Arizona later today, combined with an off shore ridge, has set up a northerly flow which will last through Saturday. This flow is pumping cold air from the Pacific Northwest into California. Low temperatures through Monday morning will generally range in the mid 30s. It’s possible the very coldest locations could briefly dip into the upper 20s. That’s only under the perfect conditions, however. The northerly flow aloft will also generate upslope clouds against the Kern County mountains and will cause some mixing in the atmosphere tonight. At any rate, this is by no means a freeze situation. So far, there’s nothing on models indicating a particularly cold pattern. in fact, the air mass will begin to moderate over the weekend with above average temperatures returning by Tuesday of next week. longer range models are pointing to an active pattern, maintaining above freezing temperatures.
Lows Tonight:
| Terra Bella Af | Porterville Af | Ivanhoe 32 | Woodlake af |
| Strathmore af | McFarland 32 | Ducor Af | Tea pot dome 32 |
| Lindsay 31 | Exeter 32 | Famoso af | Madera af |
| Belridge 32 | Delano af | North Bakersfield af | Orosi 32 |
| Orange cove af | Lindcove 32 | Lindcove Hillside AF | Sanger river bottom 30 |
| Root creek 32 | Venice hill af | Rosedale af | Jasmine af |
| Arvin af | Lamont af | Plainview af | Mettler af |
| Edison af | Maricopa af | Holland creek af | Tivy Valley af |
| Kite Road South af | Kite Road North af |
AF=Above Freezing
Mid afternoon dew points: Upper 40s to the lower 50s. Kern: Upper 40s to the lower 50s.
ET for the past seven days: Stratford, .27, Parlier, .26, Arvin .39, Delano .43.
Soil temperatures: Stratford 56, Parlier 56, Arvin NA, Delano 56
Average Temperatures: 60/39, Record Temperatures: 76/28
Heating Degree Days Season. 1229 -477 varies widely from location to location. courtesy of the NWS
Precipitation: Seasonal total for Fresno .5.15, Monthly 2.35
Precipitation for Bakersfield: Season: 4.25, Monthly: 1.64
Average Temperature this Month 53.9 +5.1 taken at NWS Hanford.
Water year season is from October 1st through September 30.
Chilling Hours November 1st through February 28: Parlier, 672 Arvin, 591 Belridge, 587 Shafter, 636 Stratford, 652 Delano 661. Courtesy UC Davis
Sunrise, 6:54. Sunset, 5:33 hours of daylight, 10:37
NA=Not available
Yesterday’s Weather:
MCE : Merced AP 153 : 54 / 44 / 0.53 /
MAE : Madera AP 253 : 57 / 44 / 0.53 /
FAT : Fresno AP 333 : 55 / 43 / 0.75 /
HJO : Hanford AP 242 : 57 / 40 / 0.40 /
NLC : Lemoore NAS 234 : 57 / 39 / 0.43 /
BFL : Bakersfield AP 496 : 57 / 41 / 0.12 /
VIS : Visalia AP 292 : 55 / 42 / 0.22 /
PTV : Porterville AP 442 : 55 / 42 / 0.99 /
Rainfall: 24hr 2024 % l.y. % ave Yearly ave
STOCKTON 0.22 8.95 115 15.75 202 7.80 13.45
MODESTO 0.53 11.29 162 13.54 195 6.96 12.27
MERCED 0.38 8.52 132 13.47 208 6.47 11.80
MADERA 0.12 5.39 94 5.14 90 5.73 10.79
FRESNO 0.04 4.44 76 9.83 168 5.85 10.99
HANFORD 0.04 4.74 110 6.99 162 4.32 8.13
BAKERSFIELD 0.11 4.14 123 4.50 134 3.36 6.36
BISHOP 0.00 3.06 115 8.73 327 2.67 4.84
DEATH VALLEY NP 0.61 2.70 278 0.39 40 0.97 2.20
SALINAS 0.63 8.10 112 9.13 126 7.23 12.58
PASO ROBLES 0.32 11.97 177 12.94 192 6.75 12.15
SANTA MARIA 0.71 8.17 115 13.61 191 7.13 13.32