Dense Fog in California, February 2, 2020

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Hanford CA
333 PM PST Sat Feb 1 2020

.SYNOPSIS...
A change to blustery and much colder weather will occur Sunday
into Sunday night accompanied by light precipitation in the
foothills and mountains. Dry, unseasonably cold weather can be
expected over the district early in the week with frost and
sub freezing minimum temperatures in the San Joaquin Valley.
Dry weather and a day to day warming trend will occur during
the remainder of next week.

&&

.DISCUSSION...Weatherwise, this will be a 'Jekyll and Hyde'
weekend. The mild, Springlike air mass that's upon us this
afternoon will be swept away by an Arctic cold front Sunday.
Until its arrival Sunday morning, tonight will be rather
tranquil under mostly clear skies. Patchy dense fog may again
develop in the San Joaquin Valley and linger into the post dawn
hours.

The cold front will barrel southward through the central
California interior during the midday and afternoon hours Sunday,
accompanied and followed by blustery winds. In the San Joaquin
Valley, brisk winds may gust to 35 mph and create areas of
blowing dust Sunday afternoon and evening.  In the mountains,
strong winds will be accompanied by sharply falling temperatures
and generally light precipitation with and behind the cold front
Sunday afternoon into Sunday night. Winds could gust as high as
70 or 80 mph below the Kern county mountain passes and along the
Sierra crest Sunday evening. The combination of brisk winds and
much colder temperatures over the Sierra will bring dangerous
wind chills to hikers and campers in the high country Sunday into
Monday morning. Although precipitation associated with this
system will be rather light, a dusting to a few inches of snow
could accumulate at elevations as low as 2500 feet by Sunday
evening. This includes the Sierra foothills and major routes
through the mountain passes of Kern county such as I-5 and highway
58. Folks with plans to drive through these mountain passes
Sunday evening into Monday morning could encounter travel delays
due to icy, slick and hazardous road conditions. Sunday night,
any lingering precip in the mountains will shut off rather quickly
as drier air invades the district.

In the broader picture, a dry northerly flow aloft will reside
over California during the early part of next week in between
a building high pressure ridge over the eastern Pacific and a
deepening upper level trough over the Great Basin. This is a
pattern that will drive unseasonably cold, dry air into the
Golden State from western Canada. Temperatures during this period
will run several degrees below normal. Frost and sub freezing
minimum temperatures are likely each night in the San Joaquin
Valley early next week. Monday night will probably be the coldest
night in the San Joaquin Valley so far this Winter. Thermometer
readings could bottom out as low as the mid 20s by daybreak
Tuesday in the normally coldest locations of the San Joaquin
Valley. Otherwise, mostly clear skies and generally light winds
will prevail over the district early next week.

During the second half of the week, that high pressure ridge over
the eastern Pacific will gradually build into California, bring
a day to day warming trend, and keep our weather dry. Afternoon
temperatures should finally bounce back to seasonable levels
Thursday then peak slightly above normal Friday into next weekend.
Nightly low temperatures will be relatively chilly, but certainly
not as cold as early this week. In the San Joaquin Valley, for
example, minimum temperatures will range from the mid 30s to
lower 40s during the second half of the week.

&&

.AVIATION...
Areas of IFR and local LIFR visibility and ceilings in mist and
fog is posible in the San Joaquin Valley from 10z until 17z
Sunday. Wind gusts to 35 knots or greater are possible by 21z
Sunday through and below the Kern county mountain passes.
Otherwise, VFR conditions can be expected over much of the central
California interior during the next 24 hours.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
On Sunday, February 2 2020...Fireplace/Wood Stove Burning Status
is: No Burning Unless Registered in Fresno... Kern... Kings...
Madera... Merced and Tulare Counties. Further information is
available at Valleyair.org

&&

.CERTAINTY...

The level of certainty for days 1 and 2 is high.
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.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
High Wind Warning from 4 PM Sunday to noon PST Monday for
CAZ195>199.

Winter Weather Advisory from 5 PM Sunday to midnight PST Sunday
night for CAZ196-197.

Freeze Watch from late Monday night through Tuesday morning for
CAZ179>189.

Wind Advisory from noon to 10 PM PST Sunday for CAZ179>189.

&&

synopsis...Durfee
public...Durfee
aviation/fw...BS
PIO/IDSS...BS

weather.gov/hanford