Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS San Joaquin Valley, CA

000
FXUS66 KHNX 251950
AFDHNX

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Hanford CA
1250 PM PDT Thu Apr 25 2024


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.KEY MESSAGES...
1. A High Wind Warning has been issued for the Kern County
Mountains and Mojave Desert Slopes valid through 11 pm Friday.
2. A cooling trend back to just below seasonal normals lasting
through Friday.
3. The next storm system will impact Central California Friday
with mountain snow, foothills rain, and a chance of valley
thunderstorms.
4. A warming trend begins on Sunday and will last through the
week ahead with dry conditions.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
A tight pressure gradient influenced by the low pressure system
moving east and the high pressure ridge off the coast of
California will bring light rain, snow, thunderstorms, and wind
to the area. For winds particularly, Kern County will see the
majority of the high winds. There is a greater than 85% chance
of wind gusts higher than 45 miles per hour throughout the
eastern part of Kern County. Highest winds will be observed in
the typical windy zones, the Mojave Desert Slopes, where the
probabilities of 60 mile per hour winds are 85-90%. As such, a
Wind Advisory has been issued for much of eastern Kern County,
and a High Wind Warning has been issued for the Mojave Desert
slopes through 11pm PDT tomorrow evening.

Alongside these winds and with the storm system moving in,
temperatures will continue to be cooler than normal through
tomorrow, with high temperatures roughly 7-10 degrees cooler
than normal for this time of year.

As another low pressure system forms and drops southward just to
the east of the state, there will be a chance for thunderstorms.
These thunderstorms will mostly be in the Sierra Nevada and
foothills, but there is a chance for some of the thunderstorms
to make their way into the San Joaquin Valley and northern Kern
County. Here are probabilities for select locations to see
thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon and evening:

Yosemite Valley/Mariposa/Oakhurst/Shaver Lake: 25%
Tioga Pass: 22%
Grant Grove: 23%
Fresno/Visalia: 18%
Merced/Madera: 17%

As the second low pressure system progresses eastward through
the weekend, zonal flow will take over, warming temperatures
back up and bringing dry conditions back to the area. Beginning
Sunday, temperatures will begin warming back up, reaching
roughly 7-10 degrees above normal for this time of year by the
middle of next week.

&&


.AVIATION...
A low VFR ceiling will continue until 21Z. The Sierra and Kern
County Mountains may have localized mountain MVFR obscurations.
The Kern County and Mojave Desert has a high probability of
surface wind sustaining above 30 KTS through the TAF period.
Otherwise, VFR conditions will prevail throughout Central
California for at least the next 24 hours.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
ISSUED:  04/24/2024 14:25
EXPIRES: 04/25/2024 23:59
None.



&&

.CERTAINTY...

The level of certainty for days 1 and 2 is medium.
The level of certainty for days 3 through 7 is medium.

Certainty levels include low...medium...and high. Please visit
www.weather.gov/hnx/certainty.html for additional information
and/or to provide feedback.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
High Wind Warning until 11 PM PDT Friday for CAZ338.
Wind Advisory until 11 PM PDT Friday for CAZ331-333-334-337-
339.
&&

$$

public/aviation...AS
PIO/IDSS..........EW

weather.gov/hanford