Wind Advisory 11, NWS Hanford, CA

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
932 AM PDT SUN MAR 29 2009

.UPDATE...SATELLITE WATER VAPOR IMAGERY REVEALS THE UPPER TROUGH
MOVING SOUTHEAST OVER THE GREAT BASIN THIS MORNING. THE ONSHORE
SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT HAS RAMPED UP TO 14 MB FROM SFO-LAS AND
IS PROGGED TO INCREASE FURTHER TO AROUND 18 MB BY LATE AFTERNOON.
IR SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS A WELL DEFINED LEE SIDE CIRRUS SHIELD
EAST OF THE KERN MOUNTAINS INDICATIVE OF STRONG WINDS. SOME RAWS
OBSERVATIONS IN THE TYPICAL WIND PRONE AREAS THERE HAVE REPORTED
A FEW STRONG GUSTS AROUND 50 MPH. BREEZY CONDITIONS ARE OCCURRING
OVER PARTS OF THE KERN DESERT AND SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AS WELL...BUT
REMAIN BELOW ADVISORY LEVELS. A SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT REMAINS
IN EFFECT HIGHLIGHTING THESE GUSTY CONDITIONS. WILL CONTINUE TO
MONITOR CLOSELY THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON FOR THE POSSIBLE NEED
OF A WIND ADVISORY. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT IS EXPECTED TO RAPIDLY
WEAKEN LATE THIS EVENING AND WINDS WILL SUBSEQUENTLY DIMINISH
CONSIDERABLY OVERNIGHT. OTHERWISE...THE TROUGH PASSAGE WILL RESULT
IN MAX TEMPERATURES SEVERAL DEGREES LOWER TODAY THAN YESTERDAY
BUT STILL ABOVE CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMS.

&&

.FROM PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...THE EAST-PACIFIC RIDGE IS FORECAST
TO BUILD BACK ONTO THE COAST TONIGHT AND REMAIN OVER THE REGION
THROUGH MIDWEEK. THE 00Z MODELS ARE IN BETTER CONSENSUS THIS
MORNING WITH THE NEXT SHORT-WAVE RIDING OVER THE RIDGE TUESDAY
AND STAYING WELL EAST OF THE HANFORD WARNING/ FORECAST AREA.

THERE IS FINALLY SOME GOOD MODEL AGREEMENT CONCERNING THE UPPER-
LEVEL TROUGH FORECAST TO MOVE INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST THURSDAY.
THE TROUGH IS FORECAST TO MOVE THROUGH CALIFORNIA THURSDAY NIGHT
WITH THE TROUGH AXIS EAST OF THE STATE BY 18Z FRIDAY. PER
COLLABORATION WITH WFO/S RENO AND SACRAMENTO...HAVE INCREASED
POPS ALONG THE SIERRA CREST TO SLIGHT CHANCE CATEGORY FOR THURSDAY
NIGHT.

THE UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE BUILDS BACK INTO CALIFORNIA FRIDAY NIGHT AND
AMPLIFIES SATURDAY IN RESPONSE TO A TROUGH DIGGING ALONG 140W. THIS
TROUGH IS FORECAST TO APPROACH THE WEST COAST NEXT SUNDAY...BUT THE
TROUGH AXIS IS FORECAST TO STILL BE OFFSHORE BY 00Z ON APRIL 6TH

&&

.AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE CENTRAL
CALIFORNIA INTERIOR THROUGH 18Z MONDAY.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
NONE

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.
&&

PUBLIC...DCH/SANGER
AVN/FW...BINGHAM

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD