WEATHER FORECAST 07/18/07

[dmatt]

WEATHER FORECAST FOR THE OWENS VALLEY AND MAMMOTH AREA
PROVIDED BY DENNIS MATTINSON
EASTERN SIERRA WEATHER FORECASTER
BROADCASTING ON THE SIERRAWAVE 92.5 / 96.5 FM

LAST UPDATE: 7:26 AM PDT JUL 18, 2007

AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OFF THE NORTHWEST US COAST WILL REMAIN WELL TO OUR NORTH. I EXPECT JUST SOME HIGH CLOUDS OVER THE CREST TODAY. THE TROUGH WILL REMAIN IN PLACE WITH SOME SHORTWAVE IMPULSES ROTATING INLAND AND THIS WILL GIVE THE HIGH COUNTRY A SLIGHT COOL DOWN THROUGH THURSDAY WITH WINDY CONDITIONS. TEMPERATURES SHOULD LOWER BY SEVERAL DEGREES OR MORE IN MAMMOTH AND SURROUNDING AREA. FOR THE OWENS VALLEY, CONTINUED WARM TEMPS AND SOME GUSTY AFTERNOON WINDS WILL BE IN ORDER. CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS TODAY AS THE HUMIDITY LEVELS WILL BE LOW ALONG WITH THE GUSTY WINDS. SMOKE FROM THE ZACA WILD LAND FIRE LOCATED IN THE HILLS AND MOUNTAINS NORTH OF SANTA BARBARA, WILL DEGRADE VISIBILITY IN THE OWENS VALLEY AGAIN TODAY.

TODAY FOR BISHOP AND THE OWENS VALLEY: SUNNY SKIES AND WINDY CONDITIONS. HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 90S AND EVENING LOWS IN THE UPPER 50S. SOUTH WIND 20 - 30 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON WITH SOME GUSTS TO 40.

THURSDAY FOR BISHOP AND THE OWENS VALLEY: MOSTLY SUNNY AND BREEZY. HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 90S AND LOWS IN THE UPPER 50S. SOUTH WIND 10 - 20 MPH GUSTING TO 30.

TODAY FOR MAMMOTH AND SURROUNDING AREA: SUNNY SKIES AND WINDY. HIGH TEMPERATURES AROUND 75 FOR THE MAIN LODGE AND 84 FOR THE MONO VALLEYS. LOW TEMPERATURE RANGE 40 - 50. SOUTHWEST WIND INCREASING TO 15 - 30 MPH GUSTING TO 45 IN THE EVENING.

THURSDAY FOR MAMMOTH AND SURROUNDING AREA: MOSTLY SUNNY AND BREEZY. HIGH TEMPERATURES AROUND 72 FOR THE MAIN LODGE AND 81 FOR THE MONO VALLEYS. LOW TEMPERATURE RANGE 39 - 49. SOUTHWEST WIND 10 - 15 MPH.

BY FRIDAY THE UPPER LOW WILL LIFT NORTH FOLLOWED BY RIDGE BUILDING OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN STATES INTO TUESDAY. THIS WILL GIVE US DRY AND WARM CONDITIONS THROUGH THE PERIOD. THERE IS STILL THE POSSIBILITY OF SOME MID LEVEL MOISTURE PULLING OVER FROM THE EAST, GIVING US A CHANCE OF T-STORM ACTIVITY OVER THE MOUNTAINS ON SUNDAY INTO TUESDAY. WE WILL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE ON THIS. DEPENDING ON THE AMOUNT OF CLOUD COVER, TEMPERATURES SHOULD REMAIN AT OR JUST ABOVE NORMAL ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY FOR THE OWENS VALLEY.