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March 19, 2022 - The National Weather Service Hanford Office reports a High Wind Watch is in effect for higher elevations of the Mariposa, Madera, and Fresno County portions of the Sierra Nevada from late Sunday morning through Sunday evening.
A High Wind Watch means there is potential for a hazardous, high wind event.
Damaging wind gusts could blow down trees and power lines.
Power outages are possible.
Travel will be potentially hazardous, particularly for high profile vehicles.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 116 AM PDT Sat Mar 19 2022 .SYNOPSIS... Precipitation associated with a low pressure system will overspread Central California late this morning through this afternoon. Precipitation will persist tonight, before dissipating early Sunday morning. A warming trend is expected Monday and Tuesday. Near record warmth is likely Wednesday afternoon and Thursday afternoon. && .DISCUSSION... An Eastern Pacific trough of low pressure will approach the west coast of the United States this morning, prior to making landfall this afternoon. Precipitation ahead of this trough of low pressure will overspread Central California late this morning and this afternoon. The trough of low pressure will move east of the Golden State early Sunday morning, which will bring an end to precipitation chances. The snow level will start to around 7,000 feet today, before falling to about 5,000 feet tonight. In the Sierra Nevada, snow amounts of three to six inches are anticipated above 7,000 feet this afternoon into early Sunday morning. Snow amounts of one to three inches are likely from 6,000 feet to 7,000 feet this afternoon into early Sunday morning. Snow amounts of an inch or less are expected from 5,000 feet to 6,000 feet this afternoon into early Sunday morning. Rain amounts will be less than one tenth of an inch in the Coastal Range and western portion of the San Joaquin Valley this afternoon into early Sunday morning. Rain amounts will be one tenth of an inch to one quarter of an inch in the central and eastern portions of the San Joaquin Valley this afternoon into early Sunday morning. Rain amounts will be one quarter of an inch to one half of an inch in the Sierra Nevada foothills this afternoon into early Sunday morning. Strong, gusty west winds are expected in the Mojave Desert Slopes this afternoon through Sunday morning. A Wind Advisory is in effect for the Mojave Desert Slopes for this time frame. Damaging northeast wind gusts are possible in the higher elevations of the Mariposa, Madera, and Fresno County portions of the Sierra Nevada from late Sunday morning through Sunday evening. As a result, a High Wind Watch is in effect. An anticyclone will be centered near latitude 30 North, longitude 130 West Monday and Monday night. A ridge of high pressure will build northward across Northern California Tuesday. This ridge of high pressure will shift southward Tuesday night through Thursday. Zonal flow aloft is expected Friday. A warming trend is expected Monday and Tuesday. High temperatures Monday afternoon will be around five degrees warmer than Sunday afternoon. Maximum temperatures Tuesday afternoon will be about ten degrees warmer than Monday afternoon. High temperatures Wednesday afternoon and Thursday afternoon will be sixteen to eighteen degrees above normal for this time of year. Record warmth is expected in Fresno (86% probability), Madera (86% probability), and Merced (85% probability) Wednesday afternoon. Record warmth is likely in Hanford (73% probability) Wednesday afternoon. Record warmth is possible in Bakersfield (43% probability) Wednesday afternoon. Record warmth is expected in Merced (95% probability), Fresno (91% probability), and Madera (91% probability) Thursday afternoon. Record warmth is likely in Bakersfield (67% probability) and Hanford (60% probability) Thursday afternoon. && .AVIATION... A low pressure system will spread precipitation southward across central California, beginning 18z this morning. This will result in intermittent MVFR conditions, along with local IFR conditions and mountain obscurations in the Sierra Nevada. && .AIR QUALITY ISSUES... None.Source: NWS