Cold front leaves behind clear, crisp air
BY JOHN COX Californian staff writer jcox@bakersfield.com
Winds from the northwest combined with the remnants of a cold front Sunday, giving Bakersfield clean air and sparkling views on a brisk mid-winter day.
Hardly any rain fell in the city despite what looked all day like gathering storm clouds. The Kern County mountains got a dash of snow and residents there braced for the possibility of more Sunday night.
"You could squeeze out a few (snow) showers but it won't be anything heavy," National Weather Service meteorologist Cindy Bean said Sunday afternoon about the overnight outlook for Kern's mountain areas. She pegged the snow level at 4,500 feet.
At Bakersfield's Beach Park shortly before dusk, dog owner Matt Faulkner delighted in the crisp air as children rollicked in the sand and joggers headed for home.
"I love this kind of weather," the 43-year-old said, his small pack of miniature Pinschers frolicking nearby. "It's just really nice when we have good, clear air like this."
Clear it was, according to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District's daily air quality forecast. It listed the entire valley as having "good" air -- same as Saturday and Monday; nowhere was there a ban on burning wood in a fireplace.
Jim Bagnall, another meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Hanford offices, noted that clean air generally results under such conditions.
"We got a nice frontal system that came through and that's usually what it takes to scour that bad air out," Bagnall said. He added that the good air quality will likely remain for a few days until high pressure traps the air "and then you wait for the (frontal) system to come along."
Sunday was a bit cooler, too. Bagnall said the high was 52 or 53 degrees, as compared with Saturday's high of 60 degrees.
Looking forward, Bean said it's too soon to say goodbye to the clouds that formed when Sunday's northwesterly winds hit moisture left behind by the cold front.
"They'll remain in the mountains, and we could see some more cloud cover (Monday) -- some partly cloudy skies," she said.
As for the rest of the week, she said to expect dry, warmer weather.
"We should see a gradual warming trend through the week," she said, with temperatures topping 60 degrees by Wednesday or Thursday.
Facebook
Twitter
Mobile
RSS
Most CommentedMost Popular
Responding to what he called a case that “has consumed the media and our community,” Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said Tuesday he has asked the FBI to conduct a “parallel” investigation into the death of Bakersfield father of four David Sal Silva, who died May 8 after he was beaten by...
Two cellphones confiscated last week from witnesses to the in-custody death of David Sal Silva were returned Wednesday to the attorney representing the witnesses.
About two dozen protesters stood in front of Kern County Superior Court next to the Liberty Bell Thursday morning to make a statement about police brutality.
The death of a man in custody following a prolonged struggle with Kern County Sheriff's deputies and CHP officers and the subsequent fracas over confiscated witness cellphones have gained international attention and raised concerns here that the incidents could tarnish the county's emerging...
The death of Bakersfield father of four David Sal Silva immediately following his apparent beating Wednesday by Kern County law enforcement officers raises questions that have been asked in Bakersfield many times before -- questions about the use of deadly force by police.
Blood stains are still visible on the sidewalk at the corner of Flower Street and Palm Drive, where a Bakersfield man struggled with as many as nine officers and later died this week.
A war of words erupted Friday over video footage taken of David Sal Silva’s deadly encounter with law enforcement officers.
Responding to what he called a case that “has consumed the media and our community,” Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said Tuesday he has asked the FBI to conduct a “parallel” investigation into the death of Bakersfield father of four David Sal Silva, who died May 8 after he was beaten by deputies.