484  
FXUS66 KHNX 202136  
AFDHNX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA  
136 PM PST FRI DEC 20 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
1. TEMPERATURES WILL BE 6 TO 12 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH  
TUESDAY.  
 
2. THERE IS A 15 TO 35 PROBABILITY OF ANY RAIN ACCUMULATING  
THIS WEEKEND IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY FROM FRESNO NORTHWARD.  
 
3. THERE IS A 50 TO 90 PERCENT PROBABILITY OF A TENTH OF AN  
INCH OF RAIN IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY ON TUESDAY.  
 
4. THERE IS A 30 TO 50 PERCENT PROBABILITY OF EIGHT INCHES OR  
MORE OF SNOW ABOVE 7000 FEET IN THE SIERRA NEVADA ON TUESDAY  
INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY. THERE IS 20 TO 40 PERCENT PROBABILITY ON  
THURSDAY OVER THE SAME AREA.  
 
5. THERE IS A 60 PERCENT PROBABILITY OF WIND GUSTS EXCEEDING 45  
MPH ALONG THE MOJAVE SLOPES ON TUESDAY. THE REST OF THE KERN  
COUNTY DESERT HAS A 10 TO 35 PERCENT PROBABILITY OF EXCEEDING 45  
MPH DURING THE SAME TIME FRAME.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
WIDESPREAD DENSE FOG FORMED IN THE SAN JOAQUIN  
VALLEY OVERNIGHT AND PERSISTED IN MUCH OF THE VALLEY THIS  
MORNING. VISIBILITY IMAGERY IS INDICATING THE FOG IS FINALLY  
DISSIPATING WITH NOTED IMPROVEMENT IN VISIBILITY NOTED ON THE  
EAST AIDE AND SOUTH END OF THE VALLEY. SREF IS INDICATING THAT  
THE FOG AND STRATUS SHOULD CLEAR OUT ACROSS THE VALLEY THIS  
AFTERNOON. ELSEWHERE ACROSS OUR AREA, SATELLITE IMAGERY IS  
SHOWING SOME THIN HIGH CLOUDS STREAMING ACROSS OUR AREA BEING  
PULLED UP FROM THE SOUTHWEST AHEAD OF AN UPPER LOW PRESSURE  
SYSTEM APPROACHING THE PAC NW COAST.  
 
THE AFOREMENTIONED UPPER LOW IS PROGGED TO PUSH INLAND ACROSS  
THE PAC NW ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND BRING A SLIGHT  
CHANCE OF LIGHT PRECIPITATION AS FAR SOUTH AS THE NORTHERN  
PORTIONS OR MERCED AND MARIPOSA COUNTIES. IN THE MEANTIME, SOME  
AREAS OF FOG MIGHT REFORM IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY THIS  
EVENING, BUT THE LOW TO OUR NORTH MIGHT PROVIDE FOR ENOUGH  
MIXING TO INHIBIT WIDESPREAD FOG FORMATION LIKE WE HAD IN OUR  
AREA THIS MORNING. WILL THEREFORE HOLD OFF ON ISSUING ANY  
HIGHLIGHTS FOR FOG AT THIS TIME.  
 
SREF IS SHOWING CHANCES OF SOME WARM AIR ADVECTION  
PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH A WEAK SYSTEM NORTH OF OUR AREA  
FROM FRESNO COUNTY NORTHWARD ON SUNDAY WITH QPF PROGS  
INDICATING A TENTH TO A QUARTER INCH OF LIQUID PRECIPITATION  
FOR THE YOSEMITE AREA AND LESS THAN A TENTH OF AN INCH OF  
PRECIPITATION ELSEWHERE WITH AREAS SOUTH OF FRESNO COUNTY  
REMAINING DRY. NBM IS INDICATING A 15 TO 35 PROBABILITY OF ANY  
RAIN ACCUMULATING THIS WEEKEND IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY FROM  
FRESNO NORTHWARD.  
 
THIS SYSTEM WILL ALSO LIKELY PROVIDE FOR ENOUGH CLOUDS TO  
INHIBIT FOG FROM FORMING IN THE VALLEY ON SATRUDAY NIGHT AND  
SUNDAY MORNING. SHORTWAVE RIDGING IS PROGGED FOR MONDAY WITH DRY  
CONDITIONS AND ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES PREVAILING ACROSS OUR  
AREA.  
 
ENSEMBLE MEMBERS ARE STILL IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH A STRONG LOW  
PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ON TUESDAY  
WHICH WILL BRING A PERIOD OF PRECIPITATION TO OUR AREA BETWEEN  
TUESDAY MORNING AND TUESDAY EVENING. NBM IS INDICATING A 50 TO  
90 PERCENT PROBABILITY OF A TENTH OF AN INCH OF RAIN IN THE SAN  
JOAQUIN VALLEY AND A 30 TO 50 PERCENT PROBABILITY OF EIGHT  
INCHES OR MORE OF SNOW ABOVE 7000 FEET IN THE SIERRA NEVADA AS  
WELL AS A 60 PERCENT PROBABILITY OF WIND GUSTS EXCEEDING 45 MPH  
ALONG THE MOJAVE SLOPES. THIS SYSTEM IS PROGGED TO MOVE TO THE  
EAST INTO THE GREAT BASIN BY CHRISTMAS DAY WITH SHORTWAVE  
RIDGING PREVAILING OVER OUR AREA FOR A DRY CONDITIONS AND MORE  
SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES. NBM IS INDICATING ANOTHER SYSTEM WILL  
BRING MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES AND SOME LIGHT PRECIPITATION TO OUR  
AREA ON THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT.  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
00Z UPDATE:  
 
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AND WEST SIDE HILLS: MAINLY MVFR IN HAZE  
WITH AREAS OF IFR IN HAZE THRU 08Z SAT. BETWEEN 08Z SAT AND 18Z  
SAT, MAINLY IFR IN MIST WITH AREAS OF LIFR IN FOG. AFTER 18Z  
SAT, MAINLY MVFR IN MIST AND HAZE WITH AREAS OF IFR IN MIST AND  
HAZE.  
 
IN THE HIGH SIERRA/FOOTHILLS AND TEHACHAPI MOUNTAINS, VFR  
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PREVAIL FOR THE 24 HOUR PERIOD.  
 
KERN COUNTY DESERT REMAINS VFR FOR THE 24 HOUR PERIOD.  
 

 
   
AIR QUALITY ISSUES
 
ON FRIDAY DECEMBER 20 2024,  
FIREPLACE/WOOD STOVE BURNING STATUS IS: NO BURNING UNLESS  
REGISTERED IN FRESNO, KERN, KINGS, MADERA, AND TULARE COUNTIES.  
BURNING DISCOURAGED IN MERCED COUNTY, AND KERN (GREATER FRAZIER  
PARK AREA) AND SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK AND FOREST.  
 

 
   
CERTAINTY
 
 
THE LEVEL OF CERTAINTY FOR DAYS 1 AND 2 IS MEDIUM.  
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
 
NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
PUBLIC/AVIATION...DAS  
IDSS...AS  
 
WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD  
 
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