Author: John Hibler

January 20, 2021 Yesterday at this time, the winds at all levels of the atmosphere aligned out of the east.  That is no longer the case over central California with the strongest winds mainly confined to Orange County southward.  The center of the low is off the northern Baja coastline.  The circulation around this storm…

January 19, 2021 Summary: We began mentioning a wind event for California and Kern County about a week ago.  The fact that a rare occurrence was about to take place with the development of a powerful off shore flow.  For a brief time, the winds from ground level up to 30,000 feet were aligned out…

January 19, 2021 There is just a conglomeration of rare weather factors which are resulting in strong winds even in areas where you rarely experience strong winds.  In the west facing slopes of Fresno County, a place called Cascade Heights recorded a wind gust of 110 MPH at about 3:00 this  morning before the anemometer…

January 18, 2021 Summary: This is actually one of the most fascinating weather patterns I’ve ever seen, and believe me, guys, I’ve been around a while.  All these various components are rapidly coming together to create a potentially very strong wind event.  These are the various players.  Upper level high pressure has glided well off…

January 18, 2021 A complex and rare weather pattern is currently evolving.  The upper level high which, in part, resulted in such pleasant January weather is shifting further off shore.  In the meantime, a weak wave of low pressure which was off the southern Oregon/northwest California coast 24 hours ago, is now centered just to…

January 17, 2021 Summary: It is a quiet and very warm Sunday afternoon with hazy sunshine and several locations approaching the 70 degree mark as of 1:00pm.  To our north and northwest, radical changes are rapidly occurring.  The upper high which has kept conditions so pleasant this past week is migrating further west out over…

January 17, 2021 For today, expect one more day of well above average temperatures under clear skies and leave it at that so I can concentrate on a rare weather pattern which is already beginning to unfold.  There is a weak low pressure system located off the coast of the Pacific Northwest at this hour…

January 16, 2021 Summary: It is wall to wall hazy sunshine out there this afternoon with some high, very thin cirrus clouds moving in from time to time.  Temperatures are a few degrees cooler this afternoon, though still well above average.  This is the first indication that upper level high pressure just to our west…

January 16, 2021 Short term, the forecast is fairly benign as upper level  high pressure is just off shore.  There is quite a bit of ground fog from roughly a Hanford/Visalia line northward, mainly up the middle of the valley where visibilities range from 1/8 to ½ mile.  This fog will burn off by late…

January 15, 2021 Summary: Upper level high pressure is centered just off the central coast this afternoon.  A strong warm air inversion resides over the valley floor.  Take a drive up to Oakhurst this afternoon.  The temperature at 1:00pm was 79 with a reading of 75 at Bass Lake.  Most locations on the valley floor…