BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — It was warm again yesterday with a hazy high of 87 in Bakersfield, but today we're looking a bit better with an increasing southwesterly flow working to push out some trapped smog and smoke from the valley.
You'll also see high clouds streaming over head today, but there's no rain in the forecast with this onshore flow. Thankfully that brings a slight improvement in air quality with a forecast that has dropped back down to the unhealthy for sensitive groups today and a slightly "cooler" high of 80 in Bakersfield, which is five degrees below average for this time of year. There is still a lot of smoke in the Kern River Valley as they are dropping a few degrees, with a forecast high of 79 today. More smoke will blow down into the Ridgecrest area today too, where they are expecting a warm high of 86 today with a range of 80s for the rest of the desert too. Tehachapi and Frazier Park will be breezy today with a brief high f 70 degrees, meaning most of their day is spent in the 50s and 60s.
That's because a cutoff cold core low pressure center is forecast to develop off the coast tomorrow evening and then sweep over the state Friday with scattered showers, isolated thunderstorms, and breezy, cooler weather. We are still looking forward to highs in just the 60s here on the valley floor Friday, the coolest weather since April! In fact, that air is so cold we have a chance for snow showers above 7,000 feet, mainly in the Sierra to our north.
That system is clearing the region early Saturday, with high pressure building off the coast that day. That leaves us with a northerly flow, so with more sunshine we'll still hold on to mild Fall-like temperatures!
That high pressure then moves overhead Sunday, with sunny and warmer 70s, but that's still below average and feeling fantastic.
We're then turning our attention to a well-organized storm in the forecast Monday, dropping down from Canada with a cold core that will drop temperatures to the 60s once again. We're not too confident yet that moisture in the form of rain can get this far south, but there's another chance of snow in the Sierra by Tuesday!
By next Wednesday we are expecting clearing skies, but a northwesterly flow looks to keep clean, cool ocean air coming onshore with below-average highs in the 70s!
