334
FXUS66 KHNX 130543
AFDHNX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
1043 PM PDT TUE MAY 12 2026
KEY MESSAGES
1. WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH 8 AM WEDNESDAY FOR THE
COASTAL RANGES AND AREAS ALONG I-5 FROM KERN COUNTY NORTHWARD TO
MERCED COUNTY, AS WELL AS TAFT AND BUENA VISTA LAKE.
2. A WARMING AND DRYING TREND IN EXPECTED TO BEGIN EARLY NEXT
WEEK.
3. PRACTICE SAFETY AROUND AREA LAKES, RIVERS, AND STREAMS AS
WATERS ARE RUNNING COLD.
DISCUSSION
THE NEAR TRIPLE DIGIT TEMPERATURES SEEN ACROSS THE VALLEY THIS
AFTERNOON ARE EXPECTED TO DROP SIGNIFICANTLY AS A TROUGH MOVING
THROUGH OREGON CAUSES THE RIDGE CURRENTLY ALOFT TO SHIFT TO THE
EAST AND BRING 500MB HEIGHTS DOWN SLIGHTLY. FORECASTED HIGHS FOR
TOMORROW IN THE VALLEY ARE IN THE MID TO UPPER 80'S, AND WHILE
THAT MAY BE A DROP OF 10 TO 15 DEGREES, THESE HIGHS WILL STILL
BE A FEW DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS WILL ALSO CAUSE AN OVERALL
RISE IN AFTERNOON RELATIVE HUMIDITIES, THOUGH THE ACTUAL VALUES
ARE EXPECTED TO BE 20-30% IN THE VALLEY AND 15-20% IN THE
DESERT.
ZONAL FLOW FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER TROUGH PASSING THROUGH THE
NORTHWEST WILL CAUSE ANOTHER SLIGHT COOLDOWN OVER THE WEEKEND,
BUT A RIDGE BUILDING INTO THE REGION BY MONDAY IS EXPECTED TO
LEAD TO HIGHS IN THE UPPER 90'S ONCE AGAIN BY NEXT WEDNESDAY.
ALONG WITH THESE WARMING TEMPERATURES, RELATIVE HUMIDITIES MAY
BEGIN TO DRY OUT FURTHER, WITH FORECASTED VALUES OF 10-15% IN
THE VALLEY AND IN THE SINGLE DIGITS IN THE DESERT BEGINNING ON
MONDAY. WINDS DURING THIS TIME MAY BE LIGHT DUE TO THE RIDGE
ALOFT, BUT VERY LOW HUMIDITIES AND HIGH HEAT INCREASES FIRE RISK
FOR THOSE AFTERNOONS. RIVERS AND STREAMS WILL STILL BE RUNNING
COLD DURING THIS TIME, SO PRACTICING WATER SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT.
AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS OVER CENTRAL
CALIFORNIA. STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS ARE EXPECTED AT KBFL AND KFAT
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
FIRE WEATHER...
DRY CONDITIONS WITH LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES ARE EXPECTED TO
CONTINUE THROUGH THIS WEEK, WITH MINIMUM VALUES BELOW 20 PERCENT
EACH DAY AND OFTEN MUCH LOWER. A NOTABLE FURTHER DRYING MAY
OCCUR EARLY NEXT WEEK, AS WELL, WITH VALUES IN THE VALLEY
AROUND 10-15% AND THE DESERT SEEING SINGLE DIGITS AT THE SAME
TIME. THIS WILL CONTINUE THE THREAT OF GRASS FIRE DEVELOPMENT
AND SPREAD ACROSS THE REGION, ESPECIALLY WITH THE PROLONGED
DRYING OF FINE FUELS DURING THE EARLY PART OF THE WEEK.
AIR QUALITY ISSUES
NONE.
CERTAINTY
THE LEVEL OF CERTAINTY FOR DAYS 1 AND 2 IS HIGH.
THE LEVEL OF CERTAINTY FOR DAYS 3 THROUGH 7 IS MEDIUM.
CERTAINTY LEVELS INCLUDE LOW...MEDIUM...AND HIGH. PLEASE VISIT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/HNX/CERTAINTY.HTML FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
AND/OR TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK.
HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 AM PDT WEDNESDAY FOR CAZ300-304-308-309-
313.
LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM PDT WEDNESDAY FOR CAZ332.
EW
WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD
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