At least we’ll appreciate our usual Spring/Summer heat when it returns, because it’s certainly chilly in the Valley right now. The low clouds/fog will continue for at least a few more days. We may see it break apart somewhat Wednesday and Thursday, but then our first storm of December will arrive right after that! You can leave those sunglasses alone for a while, unless you’re driving to the coast or the Sierra Nevada.
This week has been another week of fog and forties in the Valley. Fresno’s temperature warmed up into the 40’s early Tuesday morning, December 2nd… and it hasn’t left the 40’s since! Our highs, lows, and everything in-between has been in the 40’s… a remarkable stretch of consistent temperatures. As of 11 p.m. Saturday night, that’s now 280 consecutive hours of temperatures in the 40’s, which is by far a new record for Fresno. The low clouds & fog are to blame for that… with that cloud cover in place, the weak December sun can’t warm us up during the daytime. Since we’re close to the Winter Solstice, the sun is low in the sky now, so incoming solar energy is at a decent angle and simply bounces off of the cloud bank over the Central Valley back into space. The persistent cloud cover then acts as a blanket at night, and traps what little warmth we do have from escaping… keeping our temperatures very stable.
That’s not the case in the Sierra Nevada foothills, which are above this fog. Mariposa, Oakhurst, Auberry, Bass Lake, Ahwahnee, and other Sierra towns have been VERY warm lately. Mariposa and Oakhurst have warmed into the middle 70’s lately, so if you need some sun and warmth… the mountains are calling!…