Category: Forecast

February 12, 2018 Summary:  It seems in dry years you cannot buy a raindrop.  Considering we’re only at 20% to 25% of seasonal average, it’s pretty discouraging.  The current upper level low is centered near the Kings/Fresno County line and is moving southwestward.  The northern half of the San Joaquin Valley has cleared out, but…

February 12, 2018 Summary:  The center of circulation of a cold upper low is just to the north of Yosemite this morning.  Doppler radar is depicting light snow showers over the mountains from Madera County northward and increasing clouds over the northern portion of the valley.  In the south valley, considerable low level clouds, or…

February 11, 2018 Summary:  Skies are relatively clear throughout central California at this hour with the exception of a few high clouds.  Most locations were down into the 30s this morning, pretty much as expected.   More on that in the frost discussion below.   As we look to our north, we see a well defined…

February 10, 2018 Summary:  Gone is the warm air inversion which has kept the valley capped for so long.  Northwesterly winds are currently moving down the valley, generally at about 5 to 15 MPH from Fresno southward.  Along the west side have been some decent gusts.  At last report the Lemoore Naval Air Station was…

February 10, 2018 Summary:  The change in the overall pattern we’ve been discussing has occurred as the high has backed up off shore, allowing the first wave of weak upper level low pressure to move through.  This little feature is marked only by a band of high clouds which are currently moving through with the…

February 9, 2018 Summary:  Minor cooling will begin Saturday as the strong upper high is currently slowly moving westward further off shore.  In the meantime, the first of several weak waves of low pressure has moved in as far south as the California/Oregon border.  High clouds will begin to spread over central California tonight and…

February 9, 2018 Summary:  This will be the last day of exceedingly warm temperatures for this early in the season.  The strong upper high which has dominated our weather for weeks now will retrograde, or back up further off shore.  This will allow three weather systems, two of which will be dry, to move through…

February 8, 2018 Summary:  Visibilities south of Fresno are not the greatest, but they have improved a bit by recent standards.  Most locations are reporting a visibility of 5 to 8 miles with the best visibility being in eastern Tulare County and much of Kern County.  A weak off shore surface flow is adding a…

February 8, 2018 Summary:  Very strong upper level high pressure continues to be anchored over the eastern Pacific Ocean and the western one-third of the United States.  The position of the high combined with a weak off shore flow is driving temperatures to near record values.  Yesterday, Bakersfield topped out at 81 degrees with most…

February 7, 2018 Summary:  Wall to wall sunshine prevails over central California this afternoon.  Visibilities are again ranging from 3 to 5 miles at most locations.  Temperatures once again will top out in the low to mid 70s at most locations and ditto that through Friday.   A massive high pressure system aloft continues its…