012
FXUS66 KHNX 090548
AFDHNX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
1048 PM PDT WED APR 8 2026
KEY MESSAGES
1. WIND ADVISORY FOR MOJAVE SLOPES THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT.
2. ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY.
3. CHANCE FOR UNSETTLED WEATHER AS PRECIPITATION, WINDS, AND
PERIODIC THUNDERSTORMS RETURN THIS WEEKEND.
4. WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM FRIDAY THROUGH 11 PM
SUNDAY FOR THE SIERRA NEVADA ABOVE 7,000 FEET.
DISCUSSION
THE RIDGE THAT CAUSED THE WELL ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES THIS
AFTERNOON IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN AND MOVE EAST BY TOMORROW INTO
THE WEEKEND, LEADING TO A COOLING TREND DURING THAT TIME. HIGHS
ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME BELOW NORMAL BY SATURDAY INTO AT LEAST
NEXT WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL BE DUE TO TWO SEPARATE TROUGHS MOVING
THROUGH CENTRAL CALIFORNIA.
THE FIRST TROUGH IS LIKELY TO BE THE WEAKER OF THE TWO, WHERE
MAINLY LIGHT PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO FALL, MAINLY IN THE
SIERRA NEVADA AND INTO THE FOOTHILLS, THOUGH ENOUGH ENERGY WILL
AVAILABLE FOR THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP FOR EACH AFTERNOON FROM
THURSDAY TO SUNDAY, WITH THE STRONGEST CHANCES ON FRIDAY. THE
STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ALSO HIGHLIGHTED THE NORTHERN HALF
OF OUR CWA FOR GENERAL THUNDERSTORM RISK ON THAT DAY.
THE SECOND TROUGH IS SHOWING ITSELF TO BE THE COLDER AND WETTER
OF THE TWO, WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE VALLEY LIKELY DROPPING
INTO THE MID TO LOW 60'S ON SUNDAY, ABOUT 10 TO 15 DEGREES BELOW
NORMAL. SNOW LEVELS FOR THIS SYSTEM ARE EXPECTED TO START
AROUND 8000 FEET AS THE PRECIPITATION MOVES IN, THEN FALL TO
AROUND 5000 FEET BY THE TIME THE SYSTEM MOVES OUT. DURING THAT
TIME, MORE WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO FALL ACROSS
THE REGION. LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN IS EXPECTED FOR ELEVATIONS
BELOW 7000 FEET AND MODERATE SNOWFALL FOR LOCATIONS ABOVE 7000
FEET. A WINTER STORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED DUE TO THIS EXPECTED
SNOWFALL FROM FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO SUNDAY NIGHT. THEN THE STORM
SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE EAST AND RIDGE BUILDING IS LIKELY TO
MOVE IN BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON.
LOOKING INTO THE LONG TERM, THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER HAS
OUR CWA UNDER A LEANING ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR BOTH THE
6 TO 10 AND 8 TO 14 DAY OUTLOOKS, SUGGESTING POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL
UNSETTLED WEATHER DURING THAT TIME. THE OUTLOOKS FOR
TEMPERATURES ARE LEANING ABOVE NORMAL FOR DAYS 6 TO 10 AND NEAR
NORMAL TO LEANING ABOVE NORMAL FOR DAYS 8 TO 14.
AVIATION
VFR CONDITIONS PREVAILING FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. GUSTS ABOVE 40
KNOTS EXPECTED ACROSS THE MOJAVE SLOPES IN THE LEE SIDE OF THE
TEHACHAPI RANGE THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT.
FIRE WEATHER
ELEVATED FIRE RISK FOR EASTERN KERN COUNTY. MIN RH VALUES
AROUND 20 PERCENT WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH ON THURSDAY BEFORE
WINDS INCREASE WITH HIGHER RH VALUES OVER THE WEEKEND.
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 11 PM PDT THURSDAY FOR CAZ338.
WINTER STORM WATCH FROM FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY
EVENING FOR CAZ323-326>328-330-331.
EW
WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD
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