BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — Is this February in November?
We are currently at the onset of one of the strongest storms for this time of year in quite some time for the area. A weather system composed of different components, including a subtropical moisture tap and an Aleutian atmospheric “engine”, will be powering through southcentral California this weekend. Long-standing rainfall records are set to fall and rising flood waters may pose a threat across many regions.
Saturday is expected to be the most impactful weather day of this latest storm event across Kern County. If Meadows Field receives more than 0.68 inches of rain during the day it will break the record for the date set on November 15, 1952.
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What makes this event particularly impactful is that the trajectory of the moisture flow and atmospheric wind fields will essentially negate the typical “rain shadow” effect that our desert communities experience. When the rain bearing clouds move from west to east or from southwest to northeast the air currents need to cross mountain barriers that rise many thousands of feet. By the time the formerly moist air crosses the ridges that tower up to 8,000 feet into the sky a large portion of their contents (of water) are lost, having fallen onto the windward (other side) of the mountain slopes.
That’s why the Mojave desert experiences a fraction of the rainfall that coastal facing areas receive. With this storm, however, the wrap-around effect of the low pressure system being located to the southwest of the area and moving northeastward with time will bring the moisture-laden winds, cloud and rains from a southerly and easterly direction. This will allow the desert to get a very generous soaking and the desert-facing slopes of the Tehachapi and South Sierra ranges to pick up even more significant rainfall as these areas could draw in and squeeze out a large amount of rain due to catching the moisture feed head on.
The Flood Watch covers this situation. If you don’t have to be out and about during this time, don’t. Flooding will be a significant threat and roads could be submerged, or even washed out in some cases.
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This is a good time to be “weather aware out there”.