December 7, 2019 - The National Weahter Service Hanford Office reports a few strong thunderstorms are possible in Central California today from the northern portions of Kings and Tulare Counties extending northward.
Funnel clouds, small hail, and wind gusts near 40 miles per hour are some of the hazards associated with strong thunderstorms.
In addition to dangerous cloud to ground lightning strikes, any thunderstorm can produce intense rainfall rates, leading to localized flooding.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 235 AM PST Sat Dec 7 2019 .SYNOPSIS... A weather system will affect the district from late tonight through the end of the weekend with rain and thunderstorms in the valley, along with heavy rain and snow into the Central Sierra. foothills and mountains. Ridge will build into the area for Monday and Tuesday, with morning fog possible. Quick, dry short wave moves through Central California on Wednesday, before ridge builds across the area into the end of next week. && .DISCUSSION...Radar shows just some isolated showers over the forecast area as the first wave of a three part system lifts to the northeast. This weekends storm system will come in three parts as shown nicely on water vapor satellite imagery. The first impulse is lifting quickly northeast into the Sierra early this morning and a second wave is noted just now moving into areas just north of San Francisco. A third, and most impressive vorticity feature is now crossing 37N/130W and moving rapidly to the west. So how do these impulses affect the weather across the Central California Interior? I`ll start with the first disturbance moving into the Sierra, this will exit to the east early this morning leaving a lull in precipitation. The second wave now moving into the North Bay will sweep through mainly the northern parts of the forecast area after sunrise and will bring another increase in precipitation through about mid day. This will then be followed by impulse number three which is progged to arrive on the coast early this evening and sweep southeast tonight and early Sunday. Enough instability exists for a couple of thunderstorms to form over the north. The last weather feature that will bring precipitation to the forecast area will be the low center itself, which models prog to drop southeast down the state on Sunday bringing showery conditions. Given the total expected precipitation in the Sierra with all of these weather disturbances, snow will accumulate easily to winter storm conditions especially from Kings Canyon Park northward. Snow levels will generally remain at around 7000 feet today but will fall to around 5500 feet on Sunday as the colder air arrives with the low pressure center. The low moves east of the area Sunday night and Monday with a ridge of high pressure projected to build over the area and persist into Tuesday before a weakening shortwave trough moves across Northern California Tuesday night and Wednesday. This last system should bring just an increase in clouds but no precipitation. Fog will become an issue over the San Joaquin Valley Monday and Tuesday mornings however enough cloud cover should accompany the mid week shortwave through to limit fog formation Wednesday. A period of dry weather will continue into late next week as models build a strong high pressure system over the East Pacific and push the storm track well to the north into next weekend. Dry and mainly clear weather will persist in all areas outside the San Joaquin Valley where fog, inversions and potentially cloudy weather is climatologically favored in this pattern this time of year.Source: NWS