BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — RECORD-BREAKING RAINFALL
After on and off rain since Thursday evening, Kern County dried out for several hours Sunday night. On Saturday, Bakersfield set a new rainfall record for the date, nearly doubling the previous one set 73 years earlier! 1.23″ was collected at Meadows Field, and since Thursday evening, the airport has picked up just under an inch and a half.
To appreciate just how rare such rains are, consider that over the past 136 years, there have only been 32 days with 1 inch or more of rain. Only 5 such days have occurred in the 21st century, and as far as November is concerned, prior to this past Saturday, this month only had 3 days with an inch of rain since 1889. As of today, we now have 4.
MORE RAIN ARRIVES MONDAY
The jet stream is plunging south yet again, and a new storm system is being carved out west of California. As the cold front continues east, rain is forecast to spread into the South Valley by mid to late morning, with lunchtime most likely getting wet from west to east.
The trajectory and character of this storm are different from what occurred over the weekend. As such, we are not expecting the overwhelming rainfall amounts that we saw on Saturday to be repeated today. Still, additional rainfall will add to an already extremely impressive start to the early season for our region. By evening, the rain, most of which will probably be light to moderate, will transition to showers, and cooler air will work in from the northwest. Snow levels appear to be a bit lower with this one, starting off around 6,000 feet Monday afternoon and lowering to near 4,500 feet by Tuesday morning. This could result in a dusting up at those elevations if enough shower activity hangs around during the arrival of the colder air…