Weather
Central California Weather Alert: Cold Mornings Ahead This Week Oct 11-17
Fresno, CA – A significant temperature change is heading toward Central California this week, with afternoon highs expected to fall approximately 10 degrees below seasonal averages Monday and Tuesday.
By Audrey Sloan · 2026-10-10T12:33:00.436Z
Fresno, CA – A significant temperature change is heading toward Central California this week, with afternoon highs expected to fall approximately 10 degrees below seasonal averages Monday and Tuesday. The sharp cooldown follows an unusually warm start to October and could bring some of the chilliest mornings of the season to communities throughout the San Joaquin Valley.
According to the National Weather Service NWS in Hanford , temperatures Saturday, October 10, are expected to remain near seasonal averages before a noticeably cooler weather pattern develops early next week.
By Monday, October 12, and Tuesday, October 13, afternoon temperatures across much of the region will struggle to approach 80 degrees.
Forecast probabilities show a 0% chance of temperatures exceeding 80 degrees Monday in Fresno, Bakersfield, Hanford, Visalia, Merced and several surrounding communities.
Tuesday brings similarly cool conditions, with just a 1% to 2% chance of exceeding 80 degrees in several valley locations.
Morning temperatures will also drop significantly.
Forecasters expect many San Joaquin Valley communities to struggle to warm above 50 degrees during the early morning hours Tuesday and Wednesday.
The cooler conditions could be particularly noticeable for residents commuting before sunrise, students waiting for school transportation and anyone working outdoors.
The shift represents a dramatic change from the above average temperatures experienced during the opening days of October.
However, the cooler pattern is not expected to last all week.
By Thursday, October 15, the probability of afternoon temperatures exceeding 80 degrees increases to 75% in Fresno and Bakersfield and 80% in Hanford and Visalia.
By Friday, October 16, those probabilities climb to approximately 95% to 97% across several valley communities.
Residents should prepare for cooler mornings early in the week before warmer afternoon conditions return.