BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — High pressure at the surface will be in control for the weekend ahead, which means a jump back to the low 90s here on the valley floor with haze on the horizon as sinking air traps smog and smoke filling in from the wildfires burning in the forest to our north. So valley air quality is jumping to 95 points in the moderate range and is expected to get worse over the weekend.
Those sunny and dry 90s will feel warm and stagnant through Monday, but then a change is coming early next week!
That's because we'll be watching a cut-off low sliding down the California coastline this weekend, then later Monday into Tuesday it's going to take a turn and sweep onshore over Southern California. That will bring a rush of cooler, cleaner westerly winds, working to improve both our air quality and our temperatures back down to the seasonal 80s here on the valley floor by Tuesday. There will be a slight chance of showers, mainly for our southern mountains, Monday before we're clearing with some cool air left behind Tuesday. That's Storm #1.
Then later Wednesday into Thursday we're watching a colder system (#2) drop down over the Pacific Northwest, with another reinforcing shot of cool air and a slight chance of showers over the Kern River Valley.
Yet another storm (#3) could be taking that same track next Saturday, meaning we're looking ahead to several fresh days in the 70s in the forecast next week into next weekend! That will lead to a Fall feeling and much better air quality here in the valley, but we'll closely watch how winds out of each of these passing systems potentially fan the flames of our state's wildfires and what it means for smoke in eastern Kern County.
