Mariposa Weather for Today:
Widespread haze before 4pm. Areas of smoke between 1pm and 2pm. Sunny and hot, with a high near 103. Light and variable wind becoming west 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Tonight:
Widespread haze before midnight. Areas of smoke before 8pm, then areas of smoke after midnight. Clear, with a low around 73. North wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
August 19, 2020 - The National Weather Service Hanford Office reports the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District has issued an Air Quality Alert due to smoke from surrounding wildfires for Merced County, Madera County, Fresno County, Kings County, Tulare County, Stanislaus County, San Joaquin County, and the San Joaquin Valley portion of Kern County.
For additional information, call your local San Joaquin Valley Air District office. Modesto 209-557-6400, Fresno 559-230-6000, Bakersfield 661-381-1809.
Residents can also follow air quality conditions by downloading the free Valley Air app, available in the Apple store or Google Play.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 413 AM PDT Wed Aug 19 2020 .SYNOPSIS...Another dangerously hot day is expected across the region. We`ll also have the chance of thunderstorms over the higher elevations of the Sierra, and a slight chance of thunder over the far eastern portion of the Kern County desert. Temperatures will cool down into the weekend, but will remain above average. && .DISCUSSION...We all get to enjoy yet another dangerously hot day across the central California interior as our current heat wave continues...Yay!! Afternoon temperatures will be similar to Tuesday, with highs between 104 to 109 degrees in the Southern San Joaquin Valley and West Side Hills. Temperatures in the Sierra foothills will end up between 98 to 103 degrees. Finally, temperatures in the Kern County desert will be between 107 to 112 degrees. The HREF indicates that the strong 500mb high pressure that has been parked over the Great Basin is beginning to weaken and slowly drift southeastward into northern Arizona. Today will feature one last good push of subtropical moisture into the region. Also there is additional remnant moisture from a dying multicell convective system (MCS) currently over San Bernadino County that is being pulled around the high pressure into the area. The best chances for thunderstorms today will be over the Southern Sierra from Fresno County south into Tulare County. This is where the best instability and low level moisture exists. Thunderstorms in these areas will be capable of heavy rain, hail, and strong outflow winds in excess of 40 mph. There is also a slight risk of dry thunderstorms over the far eastern portions of the Kern County desert, but these will mostly produce strong outflow gusts up to 40 mph. Heading into the weekend, the aforementioned high pressure over Arizona will continue to slightly weaken. Additionally, there is a deep trough off the Alaskan coast that will dig southward into the PacNW. The synoptic cooling from these two features will help "cool down" our afternoon high temperatures. However we`ll still be near the century mark for most locations, with the exception of western Merced which will have more of an influence of cooler marine air. The steering flow that has been bringing all this subtropical moisture will stay to the east and south, and the trough moving into the PacNW will also bring drier air into central California. Looking at the long range into next week, temperatures will begin to once again increase as the high pressure over the desert southwest begins to strengthen.Source: NWS
