China Peak (Sierra Summit) snow report

334 FXUS66 KHNX 130543 AFDHNX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 1043 PM PDT Tue May 12 2026 && .KEY MESSAGES... 1. Wind Advisory in effect through 8 AM Wednesday for the coastal ranges and areas along I-5 from Kern County northward to Merced County, as well as Taft and Buena Vista Lake. 2. A warming and drying trend in expected to begin early next week. 3. Practice safety around area lakes, rivers, and streams as waters are running cold. && .DISCUSSION... The near triple digit temperatures seen across the Valley this afternoon are expected to drop significantly as a trough moving through Oregon causes the ridge currently aloft to shift to the east and bring 500mb heights down slightly. Forecasted highs for tomorrow in the Valley are in the mid to upper 80`s, and while that may be a drop of 10 to 15 degrees, these highs will still be a few degrees above normal. This will also cause an overall rise in afternoon relative humidities, though the actual values are expected to be 20-30% in the Valley and 15-20% in the Desert. Zonal flow followed by another trough passing through the northwest will cause another slight cooldown over the weekend, but a ridge building into the region by Monday is expected to lead to highs in the upper 90`s once again by next Wednesday. Along with these warming temperatures, relative humidities may begin to dry out further, with forecasted values of 10-15% in the Valley and in the single digits in the Desert beginning on Monday. Winds during this time may be light due to the ridge aloft, but very low humidities and high heat increases fire risk for those afternoons. Rivers and streams will still be running cold during this time, so practicing water safety is paramount. && AVIATION... VFR conditions will prevail for the next 24 hours over Central California. Strong and gusty winds are expected at KBFL and KFAT this afternoon and evening. && FIRE WEATHER... Dry conditions with low relative humidities are expected to continue through this week, with minimum values below 20 percent each day and often much lower. A notable further drying may occur early next week, as well, with values in the Valley around 10-15% and the Desert seeing single digits at the same time. This will continue the threat of grass fire development and spread across the region, especially with the prolonged drying of fine fuels during the early part of the week. && .AIR QUALITY ISSUES... None. && .CERTAINTY... The level of certainty for days 1 and 2 is high. The level of certainty for days 3 through 7 is medium. Certainty levels include low...medium...and high. Please visit www.weather.gov/hnx/certainty.html for additional information and/or to provide feedback. && .HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory until 8 AM PDT Wednesday for CAZ300-304-308-309- 313. Lake Wind Advisory until 8 PM PDT Wednesday for CAZ332. && $$ EW weather.gov/hanford