535
FXUS66 KHNX 220532
AFDHNX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
932 PM PST WED JAN 21 2026
KEY MESSAGES
1. DENSE FOG IN THE VALLEY IS EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS.
2. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW ABOVE 7,000 FEET IN THE SIERRA NEVADA
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. OTHERWISE, DRY CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL
UNTIL NEXT WEEK.
DISCUSSION
MID-LEVEL AND HIGH CLOUDS ARE CURRENTLY PASSING OVER THE REGION
AHEAD OF AN UPPER-LEVEL LOW OFFSHORE. THIS LOW WILL TRACK
SOUTHWARD OFFSHORE DURING THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY AND WILL PROVIDE
LITTLE IN THE WAY OF PRECIPITATION. THE BEST CHANCES WILL BE
OVER THE SIERRA NEVADA AND KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS (20-30
PERCENT), ALTHOUGH THERE IS A 20 PERCENT CHANCE INTO BAKERSFIELD
DURING LATE THURSDAY. PRECIPITATION WILL BE LIGHT, OR BELOW ONE
TENTH OF AN INCH OF LIQUID AND MAINLY A DUSTING UP TO AN INCH
OF SNOW ABOVE 7,000 FEET DURING THURSDAY AFTERNOON UNTIL FRIDAY
EVENING. ALTHOUGH, THE CHANCE FOR ONE INCH OF SNOW IS ABOUT
10-20 PERCENT DURING THE PERIOD. VALLEY FOG WILL BE LESS
WIDESPREAD FOR TONIGHT AND THURSDAY NIGHT, BUT WE CAN'T RULE OUT
AT LEAST SOME PATCHY DENSE FOG BY EARLY THURSDAY MORNING AND
AGAIN LATE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY.
FOR THE WEEKEND AND NEXT WEEK, THE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE
RETURNS AND WILL BRING RENEWED CHANCES FOR MORE WIDESPREAD DENSE
FOG IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. OTHERWISE, DRY CONDITIONS WITH
ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES, THOUGH GENERALLY MILD, WILL
PREVAIL.
AVIATION
MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS CONTINUE AT MANY LOCATIONS IN THE
CENTRAL VALLEY DUE TO SOME LINGERING BR AND LOWERED CIGS THROUGH
12Z THURSDAY. FROM 12Z-18Z THURSDAY, IFR AND LIFR CONDITIONS
WILL ONCE AGAIN DEVELOP FROM AREAS OF FOG AND LOW CIGS, THEN
IMPROVES TO MVFR IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. CURRENT THINKING
IS FOG IS NOT AS WIDESPREAD DENSE AS PREVIOUS DAYS, BUT STILL
EXPECT THAT FOG TO BE AROUND THE AREA. THERE IS A 20-30 PERCENT
CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION WITH MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS OVER THE
SIERRA NEVADA INTO THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS FROM 18Z THURSDAY
TO 06Z FRIDAY. OTHERWISE, VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL FOR THE
NEXT 24 HOURS.
AIR QUALITY ISSUES
ON THURSDAY JANUARY 22 2026, FIREPLACE/WOOD STOVE BURNING STATUS IS:
NO BURNING UNLESS REGISTERED IN FRESNO, KERN, AND MADERA
COUNTIES. BURNING DISCOURAGED IN KINGS, MERCED, AND TULARE
COUNTIES, AND KERN (GREATER FRAZIER PARK AREA) AND SEQUOIA
NATIONAL PARK AND FOREST.
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
NONE.
BSO
WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD
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