Mariposa Wind Gusts Up To 24 MPH
Oakhurst Wind Gusts Up To 26 MPH
Yosemite Valley Wind Gusts Up To 36 MPH
May 19, 2021 - The National Weather Service Hanford Office reports strong, gusty westerly winds will impact much of the central California interior through Thursday evening and create difficult driving conditions for motorists.
In addition, the wind will create areas of blowing dust in the SJ VLY and the Kern Co desert.
Here is a graphic of forecast peak gusts.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 320 AM PDT Wed May 19 2021 .SYNOPSIS... A storm system will bring blustery, unseasonably cool weather to the district during the next few days. Strong and gusty winds will frequent the Kern county mountains and desert and the west side of the San Joaquin Valley through Thursday evening. The storm will also bring a chance of showers and thunderstorms to the Sierra from late Thursday through Saturday with the possibility of a few inches of snow above 6,000 feet. && .DISCUSSION... Strong winds continue to blow across the Kern County Mountains and Desert this morning with breezy winds being felt across most of the district. The cold front associated with the current strong winds is situated over Kern County and continues to push south this morning. Based on the movement of the cold front and the resultant surface pressure gradient from KSFO to KLAS running at near 14mb, support for the High Wind Warning will remain in effect at least through 6 AM PDT this morning. Following the strong winds, temperatures will now start a cooling trend that will continue through the end of the week. A disturbance approaching the region toward the end of the week will introduce unsettled weather conditions to the mountains before another ridge enters the region next week. Ensemble model coming into better agreement with the closed low solution over California by the end of the week. Based on the possible trajectory of the low, winds may continue to be an issue as the Central California Interior will reside under a cyclonic flow pattern. At the same time, lowering temperatures may be favored over much of the district while any possible precipitation will remain over the higher terrain of the Sierra Nevada. While moisture will be lacking, enough moisture will be noted for isolated showers during the event as the upper low will not take an oceanic route. Yet, models are leaning more in the direction of possible wrap-around moisture that will sweep across the district during the Thursday and Friday precipitation events. Therefore, along with the area of best instability (CAPE), the Sierra Nevada will see a jet perpendicular of the mountain range to provide the area with mechanical lift. Therefore, the three ingredients will come into phase over the Sierra Nevada Crest for some afternoon convective (possible thunderstorm) conditions on for the days in question. Being a closed low, models confidence began to lower early next week as the low moves closer to the Four Corners region. While ensemble members begin to drift on the exact trajectory, confidence in the closed low exiting the district remains high as unsettled weather conditions diminish. Longer-range models continue to lean in the direction of another ridge pattern over the West just before mid-week. Will hold off on any big warm-ups until ensemble members agree on the ridge pattern solution.Source: NWS
