Author: John Hibler

March 4, 2018 Summary: A northwest flow continues to generate upslope cloudiness, especially in Tulare and Kern Counties.  This flow is lifted by the Kern County mountains and the Sierra Nevada and condenses into clouds.  There is a bit of uncertainty as to whether or not these clouds hang in there throughout the night.  It’s…

March 4, 2018 Summary: After a day of showers and thunderstorms, conditions settled down overnight, returning mostly clear skies north of Tulare County.  The usual upslope clouds banked up against the west facing slopes of the Sierra Nevada and the valley facing slopes of the Tehachapi Mountains.  Currently, Porterville is reporting overcast conditions with the…

March 3, 2018 Summary: As of 1:00pm, isolated thunderstorms were developing over western Fresno County and up into Merced County.  Elsewhere, there were areas of showers all the way southward through Kern County.  As more daytime heating and sunshine cause warm currents of air moving upwards, no doubt more isolated to scattered thunderstorms will break…

  March 3, 2018 Summary: As of the time of this writing, there were numerous showers generally moving from southwest to northeast across the valley and a solid area of rain and snow along the entire Sierra Nevada.  Colder air is beginning to move in aloft.  Satellite imagery shows a popcorn type pattern to the…

March 2, 2018 Summary: Numerous bands of showers are moving through the valley at this hour north of Kern County.  Doppler radar continues to indicate heavy precipitation is falling over the foothills and the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada.  It now appears as much as 3 to 4 feet of new snow may accumulate…

March 2, 2018 Summary: You can sure discern where the colder air is arriving from the current storm.  The freezing level overnight at Vandenberg AFB was still at 7,200 feet.  Over Oakland, the freezing level was down to 3,400 feet.  A major winter storm centered just off the southern Oregon coast continues to pinwheel bands…

March 1, 2018 Summary: Periods of showers continue to move across the San Joaquin Valley, mainly from northern Kings and Tulare Counties northward. As expected, precipitation in the foothills and mountains is constant as a strong west to east flow aloft is lifted by the Sierra Nevada, thus condensing into clouds and eventually heavy precipitation.…

March 1, 2018 Summary: Rain has spread as far south as Fresno County with even a few showers now spreading into northern Kings and Tulare Counties.  This is the first phase of what will be a very unsettled period of time which will last through Saturday.  The center of the low pressure system is off…

February 28, 2018 Summary: Clouds are beginning to increase this afternoon just north of Fresno as a major winter storm moves out of the Gulf of Alaska and eventually parks over the Pacific Northwest and northern California.  This system, unlike its predecessors, is taking an over water path on its way inland.  Thus, significant amounts…

February 28, 2018   Due to medical appointments, one report will be issued late this morning.  Fortunately, Mother Nature is cooperating. John and Trudy