BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Yesterday stubbornly shot to the 100s again, making for 62 days of triple digits so far this year.
Thankfully we are finally seeing cooling this morning, as northwesterly winds come rushing in with a passing trough. So after yesterday's 103 in Bakersfield, we're looking for a high of 93 today, just under our seasonal average of 95. We won't see any clouds or precipitation, but we'll enjoy a huge improvement in air quality today in the valley, which is returning to the moderate range as westerly winds 5-20 miles per hour on the valley floor help to bring fresh ocean air onshore.
Unfortunately those winds are gusting to 30 miles per hour in the Kern River Valley, fanning the flames of the French Fire. There's no Wind Advisory in the area as gusts through the passes aren't expected to meet that wind gust criteria of 45 miles per hour, but it will still be a blustery day ahead in those typically windy areas of our local mountains and desert. While we don't have the critically dry air to meet the criteria for a Red Flag Warning (also called a Fire Weather Warning), we are concerned about the dry conditions and are watching an elevated fire risk through at least tomorrow.
So expect breezy but seasonal highs for the rest of the county too, with low 90s in the valley and Kern River Valley, a range of 90s in the Kern Desert, and the low 80s in the south mountains of Tehachapi and Frazier Park.
This onshore flow continues the rest of the week, keeping our temperatures near average through Friday. So enjoy low 90s for the rest of the week in the valley and Kern River Valley, a range of 90s in the desert, and breezy low 80s in the south mountains of Tehachapi and Frazier Park.
High pressure will rebuild over the area this weekend, with a return to the 100s possible in the valley and desert communities by early next week. We're also watching the long range forecast with a chance monsoonal moisture could get dragged into the area next week, bringing a possibility we could see some scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms in the desert pushing close to our local mountains.
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