Projected Precipitation for Mariposa 0.50" - 1.00"
Projected Precipitation for Oakhurst 0.50" - 1.00"
Projected Precipitation for Yosemite Valley 1.00" - 1.50"
March 22, 2022 -The National Weather Service Hanford Office reports a storm system will approach Central California late this weekend into early next week, resulting in the possibility of precipitation.
Snow levels will start at around 8,000 feet Sunday afternoon, before falling to about 6,000 feet by Monday morning.
The best chance of precipitation is expected Sunday night and Monday morning. Forecast certainty is low at this time.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 338 AM PDT Tue Mar 22 2022 .SYNOPSIS... A significant warming trend is forecast to take place across the forecast area over the next few days as a ridge of high pressure builds. Record heat will be possible, especially Wednesday through Friday for several locations in the San Joaquin Valley. Cooler later this weekend as a trough of low pressure could cool things back to normal and bring a slight chance of precip to the area. && .DISCUSSION... Satellite loops show clear skies prevail throughout the central California interior this morning as an east Pacific ridge of high pressure begins to build over the west coast. High temperatures climbed back to near normal on Monday and the warming trend will ramp up today with temperatures climbing another 5 to 10 degrees warmer. Maximum temperatures across the San Joaquin Valley this afternoon are forecast to be in the lower 80s. The ridge builds farther inland on Wednesday and becomes more positively tilted with the axis extending from the central California coast to the northern Rockies. Temperatures will climb several more degrees on Wednesday putting forecast highs into the middle to upper 80s for the San Joaquin Valley. Little changes are expected on Thursday with maximum temperatures remaining around 15 to 18 degrees above normal for this time of the year. Confidence is high that record high temperatures will be reached across parts of the SJ Valley both on Wednesday and Thursday. Temperatures nudge down slightly on both Friday and Saturday as the ridge starts to shift to the east. Probabilities remain fairly high for some record highs on Friday then drop off and become less likely on Saturday but are not out of the question. Ensemble guidance continues to show a Pacific trough approaching the coast next weekend with potential for a return to wet weather by Sunday. But there are some notable differences as models show a splitting system leading to a slower arrival. NBM guidance has pushed precipitation chances back to Sunday afternoon but latest deterministic ECMWF is about 48 hours slower as it doesn`t bring it in until Tuesday afternoon. So the level of certainty is low for precipitation arriving by Sunday. The system is not very cold with snow levels expected to be above 6000 feet. && .AVIATION... VFR conditions will prevail across Central California through at least the next 24 hours. && .AIR QUALITY ISSUES... None.
Source: NWS
