Weather Blog
Every year in September, hunting season is inaugurated by the congregation of outdoorsmen who excitedly don their special jacket, head for the hills with a gun and the hope of bagging a trophy deer or elk. They must have a license. But no license is required for the start of fog season, and today is that day. November 15th marks the entry into a 3-month period in which the central valley becomes prone to low visibility due to thick fog. We will be in this mode through Valentines Day. Whereas extreme heat may be a common weather complaint in Bakersfield, Tule fog is surely the most dangerous for travelers. Tule fog, named for the tule grass wetlands of the central valley and pronounced TOO-Lee, is a typical western valley radiation fog. The process is actually fairly simple. Rain falls at some point due to a transient weather system which is followed by a large ridge of high pressure and clear skies. This promotes nighttime cooling that brings on fog formation. The upper level ridge introduces a layer of warm air aloft that effectively puts a lid on the fog. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, the central valley is just a big pot of fog (with a lid on it). Since sun angles are low during the winter, solar heating is minimized and the fog does not burn off. With the temperature inversion in place there is little mixing of the low level atmosphere. So, not only is this the perfect situation for low visibility but also for poor air quality. No ventilation or turning over of the atmosphere leads to No Burn Day declarations (as is the case this weekend). On average we get 22 thick fog days per year in Bakersfield. November has 3 days, December 7, January 9 and February 3. As you can see, the bulk of the fog season is December and January. At the winter solstice (December 21st), the highest sun angle at solar noon is only 32 degrees above the horizon. Compare that with the summer solstice in June when the sun reaches 78 degrees above the horizon. Solar insolation is 45% less in Bakersfield during the winter, hence the certainty of fog. That is, if we get rain first. And we have. Following months of dry conditions, November is running above average for rainfall as of the middle of the month. We have enjoyed 6 rain days so far (average for the entire month is 4). To date, Meadows Field has received .43” of rain. High pressure is forecast to persist over the west coast so areas of fog are likely in the central valley. Generally the fog forms on a clear night and may persist for a couple of days with extremely low visibility. However, the fog will usually lift into a cloud deck bringing long days of slate gray skies and cool temperatures. I call this process “curing”. The dank weather may seem depressing to those who enjoy the perpetual blue skies and hot temperatures of summer. My term is “sinus headache weather”. One invigorating activity for many is to drive to the mountains where it is sunny and warmer. You can look down on the tops of the low clouds and fog. It looks like a white lake, with distant mountains visible all around. Alas, valley residents can get their sunshine fix but will only have to jump into the lake again. So if you are not thrilled with the dangerous threat to transportation Tule fog brings or the physiological consequences, just concentrate on those sunny hot days of summer with highs 100 to 110- for they will be back as surely as the sun rises. 
Ah, for that earthy smell just after a gentle rain. A cool and cloudy day with higher humidity. But up till now we have been bone dry with warm and hazy weather to compliment our high fire danger. Will it ever rain? Read more »
If it has been fairly warm and dry this year, 2008 is certainly is not the warmest. The warmest period of time for both Kern County and much of the nation occurred in the mid 1930s dust bowl. The cold extreme, however, happened exactly 100 years ago. Read more »
It usually takes time for summer to sing its swan song in central California, but that song has now been sung. A deep low pressure area is has arrived with some of the coolest weather of the season so far. Read more »
Summer is holding on with its fingernails as September begins to fade into October. Triple digit temperatures have persisted in the south end of the valley. But will moisture from the heavens ever return to the San Joaquin Valley? Of course it will, but soon enough? Read more »
The summers in central California are long and particularly hot. This summer has featured 5 separate heat waves in Bakersfield. Other areas, such as the south end of the valley and the eastern Kern County desert, have seen more. Read more »
Hurricanes spin counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere due to the Earth's rotation and Coriolis Force.
Low pressure is due to areas of rising air, which then start to spin counter-clockwise due to the Coriolis Force. High pressure is tied to sinking air, which the Coriolis Force turns the air clockwise. But let's say there's a hurricane off the coast of Mexico, and then it roars south toward South America where they would spin the other way. This is sort of like the axiom of what happens if you strap a piece of buttered toast to a cat's back, which way would point down? (And please don't test this at home.) Read more » 
Photos from around the region after Hurricane Ike devastated parts of the Gulf Coast. Read more »
Hurricane Gustav had been milling around the Caribbean for several days with only a vague threat for the northern Gulf coast. The menacing storm appeared potentially devastating to an area with memories of Katrina still fresh almost exactly 3 years later. But Gustav would prove to be a routine hurricane, not the “mother of all”. Read more »This fourth weekend in August looks to be sunny and hot. Not too surprising for central California during the second half of summer. While “the Sunshine State” is drowning in 15 to 30 inches of rainfall from Tropical Storm Fay, it is nothing to go many months without a drop of rain in Bakersfield. California is the real sunshine state for much of the year. Average annual precipitation for the southern San Joaquin valley of California is about 6 and a half inches. It has taken 5 and a half years (since February 2003) to collect 30 inches of rain in this relatively dry part of the country, something eastern Florida seems to have accomplished in less than 5 days. Read more »
The weather has been wonderful recently. Bakersfield enjoyed high temperatures of 88 and 87 degrees, respectively on Tuesday and Wednesday. So, is this it? Has summer come to a pre-mature end? Not quite. Read more »
It has been a lazy few days with kids enjoying the last few moments of vacation, temperatures soaring into the triple digits and a lightning bonanza in the southwestern sky early Friday morning. August in Bakersfield usually features these things as residents begin to tire of the relentless day after day heat. Average high temperatures slip from the upper 90s to the mid 90s and potential daylight is trimmed by about an hour from almost 14 hours to less then 13 hours per day. Read more »
The Summer Olympics are here! To what lengths will our athletes aspire? How far will they push their bodies? How high might the pollution levels get? There are answers to all those questions, but I will only take a stab at the last one. Read more »William Shakespeare wrote a romantic comedy in the 1590s that involved Athenians in love, as well as a collection of fairies and hobgoblins. It ostensibly took place in the middle of summer. Well, here we are at about that time. But when precisely is the mid-point of summer? Read more » The tropical season’s first appearance of significance is a storm named “Dolly”. It should be declared a category one hurricane today, just prior to making landfall somewhere near Brownsville, Texas on Wednesday. Read more »
It's fairly rare to see the Northern Lights in the Northwest, but then they do come out, it's a spectacular, albeit mysterious sight.
But now a few NASA scientists say they have a much better understanding of what causes the phenomenon (By the way, Wade B. Clark, a frequent contributor to our site, has captured dozens of amazing photos of the Northern Lights from his home in Sedro-Woolley near Mount Baker. See some of his work at this link.) Here is the full article by AP Aerospace Writer Marcia Dunn: Read more » The hot days of summer in the south valley amount to something many people feel they need to get through, rather than enjoy. Of course, of all weather issues that must be endured in central California , I suppose extreme heat is the most threatening. More Californians die from heat than any other type of weather. But it could be a lot worse. Read more »
Last week it was Heat Wave #2, which ended on Friday as a category 2 heat wave (on a scale of 5) after lasting 4 days. That event was terminated by a different weather crisis. Well advertised monsoonal moisture drifted into our region from Arizona and northern with the help of an easterly wave. Temperatures haven’t been as extreme, but mid level moisture has increased dramatically. Read more »
Heat Wave #2 is in progress and has already claimed the life of at least one person in Kern County . It can be critically important that you know how your body is being affected by this extreme heat, humidity and bad air quality. Read more »
Will it be a scorching summer in Bakersfield? You don’t have to be a weather expert to get that question right. And so, the heat is here. I’ve talked to many people in my 18 years of knowing Kern County residents and a majority of them tell me that they don’t really like the heat. Well, the Kern-class heat is what they mean. I suppose everyone likes a soft warm summer afternoon with butterflies and a glass of iced tea. But when our weather becomes life threatening (as it is this week), summer in central California shows its fangs. Read more »
Heat Wave #2 is set to officially begin this week in central California. At least three consecutive days of triple digits seems virtually guaranteed. But did you know the monsoon season is officially crowned as well?
The heat is on! July in Kern County is typically hot and dry. In fact, "normal" rainfall is only a trace. There are 15 dates during the year in which it has never rained in Bakersfield- not even a trace. Read more »
Hurricane season began June 1, but it took until early July to get our first one of the season. Hurricane Bertha is the inaugural 2008 hurricane, which is now churning away in the middle Atlantic.
Here is more from the Associated Press: MIAMI (AP) - Hurricane Bertha continues to strengthen as it moves over the central Atlantic Ocean. As of 11 a.m. EDT Monday, the Atlantic season's first hurricane was centered about 775 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands. National Hurricane Center forecasters say Bertha is expected to turn in the general direction of Bermuda. It's still to early to tell whether Bertha will hit the island, but forecasters urged residents to monitor the storm's progress. Read more » 
Boy, it's hot out there. Highs in the upper 90s to near 100 is common this time of year. But did you know we are farther from the sun now than at any other time of the year? Read more »
Talk about a wild shift in weather -- look at what happened in Tucson, Arizona on Thursday:
A 1 p.m., the weather station at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (about 10 miles west of the city) said it was 100 degrees outside. But get this: The surface ground temperature was 144 -- according to the National Egg Board, that is just hot enough to officially fry an egg. An hour later, some clouds moved over and the temperature dropped to 98 degrees. And then, the sky opened up. Read more » 
With clear skies generally the norm around here, it's a great place to do some amateur observing. But just to make sure the sky conditions are optimal to take a peek to the heavens, there is a rather unique weather chart that can help plan when to pull out the telescope. Read more »
|
Recent PostsYouNews
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled.
Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.
|
Most Popular
|
A 36-year-veteran of forecasting and meteorology, Miles has worked throughout the country, has flown into hurricanes and is a passionate tornado chaser.
