Wind Advisory 62, NWS Hanford, CA

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Hanford CA
523 PM PST Wed Dec 30 2020

.UPDATE...To include updated air quality information.

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.SYNOPSIS...A cold frontal passage tonight into Thursday morning
will bring some light showers to mainly the Sierra from Yosemite to
Kings Canyon. Otherwise dry weather will prevail over much of the
district Thursday through Saturday. Little diurnal change in
temperature and humidities can be expected through Saturday. A
change to a more active and wet pattern is possible next week.

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.DISCUSSION...Short wave ridge overhead today with seasonable
temperatures across the district. Satellite imagery shows bands
of high clouds passing over central California this afternoon
ahead of an approaching trough over the Pacific Northwest. This
trough will dive SSE tonight over California and bring some
light precipitation from around midnight tonight through Thursday
morning. Most of the precip will occur over the Sierra Nevada
around Yosemite where one to two tenths of an inch of rainfall is
possible. 1 to 2 inches of snow could fall down to 4000 feet as
well. A trace to a few hundredths of an inch of rain could fall in
the San Joaquin Valley around Merced County. It's also possible
for a few light showers/snow flurries to occur in the Mountains
around Frazier Park, possibly along the Grapevine. Some patchy fog
and frost is still possible in the southern SJV tonight. The
trough quickly exits on Thursday night as another short wave ridge
slides in behind it. This could set the stage for more widespread
fog on New Year's Eve night.

Models are continuing to show a transition to a more active zonal
flow pattern aloft next week. While there is good model agreement
in this pattern change, the timing and placement of disturbances
within the flow is still very uncertain. Models are focusing them
a little farther north over the last couple of runs, though there
is still an impressive system depicted next Wednesday (Jan 6).

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.AVIATION...
Areas of IFR with local LIFR in fog can be expected in the San
Joaquin Valley from 08z to 18z Thursday. Local IFR ceilings in
showers over the Sierra Nevada from 06z to 18z Thursday. VFR
conditions can be expected elsewhere over the central California
interior for the next 24 hours.

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.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
On Wednesday December 30 2020...Fireplace/Wood Stove Burning
Status is: No Burning Unless Registered in Fresno...Kern...Kings...
Madera and Tulare Counties. Further information is available at
Valleyair.org

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
an/or to provide feedback.

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.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.
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public...DCH
aviation....DCH

weather.gov/hanford