Projected Precipitation for Mariposa 0.25" - 0.50"
Projected Precipitation for Oakhurst 0.25" - 0.50"
Projected Precipitation for Yosemite Valley 0.50" - 1.00"
April 15, 2022 - The National Weather Service Hanford Office reports a trough of low pressure will pass across Central California Saturday.Precipitation is likely north of Kern County ahead of and along this trough of low pressure late tonight and Saturday.
A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for elevations above 6,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada.
The majority of this precipitation will fall Saturday morning.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 439 AM PDT Fri Apr 15 2022 .SYNOPSIS... Dry conditions and seasonable temperatures prevail today with gusty winds in the Kern County mountain passes this morning. A system will bring precipitation late tonight through Saturday afternoon, mainly north of Kern County. Dry conditions, light winds, and warmer temperatures are expected on Easter Sunday. && .DISCUSSION... Satellite loops show mostly clear skies at this time as yesterday`s storm system exits to the east and the next upstream system quickly approaches from the eastern Pacific. Rainfall amounts were rather paltry with only a few hundredths to around one tenth of an inch measured, mainly around Yosemite NP. A good onshore flow continues with the SFO-LAS surface pressure gradient around 12 mb. Westerly wind gusts around 50 mph will continue in the Mojave Desert Slopes and the Indian Wells Valley in Kern County, where a Wind Advisory is in effect until 10 AM this morning. Mostly sunny skies should prevail this afternoon with temperatures near normal for this time of the year. An upper trough located around 39N/140W will track east southeast today and will begin to spread precipitation inland across central California late tonight. Latest high resolution guidance shows the precipitation beginning around Yosemite NP after midnight with an increasing chance through the morning. The progressive zonal flow will make this a relatively short-lived event with the bulk of the precipitation occurring from sunrise to Noon. Decreasing showers are expected during the afternoon then dry conditions by evening. Unfortunately, Kern County looks to get little if any precipitation from this system either. Rainfall amounts in the San Joaquin Valley north of Kern County are generally expected to be a few hundredths to one tenth of an inch, though isolated amounts up to two tenths are possible north of Fresno County. The Sierra Foothills could see up to one half of an inch of rainfall from Fresno County north. Sierra QPF is as much as one inch liquid around Yosemite NP with decreasing amounts to the south. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for the Sierra above 6000 feet from 5am to 5pm Saturday with snow accumulations of 3 to 9 inches and isolated amounts up to 12 inches possible over the higher elevations around Yosemite NP. It will become windy again in the Kern County mountains and desert on Saturday but the timing is still uncertain. Will allow the current advisory for that area to expire later this morning before issuing one for Saturday. Upper ridging moves over on Sunday into Monday for dry weather and lighter winds. Global ensembles bring a system over the Pacific NW on Tuesday with a low chance for precipitation from Fresno County northward. Ensembles show potential for a stronger system tracking farther south around Thursday-Friday next week. && .AVIATION... Wind gusts up to 45 knots possible over the mountains in eastern Kern County through 17z Friday. Otherwise, VFR conditions will prevail over the Central California Interior for the next 24 hours. && .AIR QUALITY ISSUES... None.Source: NWS
