Category: Forecast

May 23, 2018 Summary: The weak closed low governing our weather the past few days is now centered near the Nevada/Utah border and is pulling away from central California, leaving a weak trough in the upper atmosphere in its wake.  Temperatures will be marginally warmer today, although it is a tricky call as the marine…

May 22, 2018 Summary: The center of circulation of a closed low pressure system is now at Las Vegas and will be moving slowly eastward.  Central California is on the back side of the counter clockwise circulation, which is generating a north/northeast to south/southwest flow aloft.  Scattered showers and thunderstorms are again possible this afternoon…

May 21, 2018 Summary: The center of circulation of a relatively cold upper level low is now over eastern Kern County.  The counterclockwise circulation around the low has the winds aloft out of the east from Yosemite northward and out of the west over Kern County.  This poses a tricky forecast for both this afternoon…

  May 20, 2018 Summary:  A weak trough of low pressure continues to maintain itself over the western United States.  Today will be similar to yesterday with temperatures near seasonal averages with just a few high clouds at times.  With that trough in place, an on shore flow continues.  In fact, there is an 11.40…

May 19, 2018 Summary:  The weak low which was overhead yesterday is now hard to identify, but overall it has  moved into the Great Basin.  This has allowed pressures to marginally rise over central California.  Even so, a weakness remains in the upper atmosphere.  Temperature forecasting for this afternoon will be rather difficult.  Even though…

May 18, 2018 Summary:  A weak upper low remains over the Great Basin this  morning but it will move into Utah this afternoon, allowing pressures to marginally rise over the next 48  hours.  Overall, however, there will be a lingering weak trough of low pressure over and off the west coast through Saturday night.  By…

May 17, 2018 Summary:  Temperatures are anywhere from 4 to 8 degrees cooler than 24 hours ago, largely because skies have cleared over most of the valley, allowing radiational cooling to proceed.  Temperatures today will be very  pleasant as the valley is completely pooled with marine  air.  The low responsible for the big cool down…

May 16, 2018 Summary:  Water vapor satellite imagery clearly depicts a closed low centered right over the San Francisco Bay Area this morning.  This system will inch its way across central California today into early Thursday then will move into the Great Basin by Thursday afternoon.  An absolute wall of marine air surged over the…

May 15, 2018 Summary:  Looking at visible satellite imagery at this hour we find the usual fog and low cloud deck along the coast, extending inland with only the last range of mountains separating the valley from that coastal air.  Satellite imagery also clearly depicts a finger of low clouds moving through the Delta then…

May 14, 2018 Summary:  Low pressure currently straddles the Nevada/Utah border.  Northern and central California remain under the circulation pattern of the counterclockwise flow around the low.  A mid level cloud deck based at 8,000 feet covers portions of the eastern and southern San Joaquin Valley, but poses no threat of precipitation.  The low has…