Cold snap brings freezing temps to Lodi overnight

It’s late, but winter has finally arrived in Lodi, at least for this week.

“It’s going to be some of the coldest weather we’ve seen this season,” said senior meteorologist Ken Clark of the private forecasting firm Accuweather.com.

Lodians can expect temperatures below freezing tonight and highs in the mid-50s for the next few days. This morning and Wednesday morning should be the coldest, he said, and Stockton could set some records.

While daytime highs might lift toward 60 by Friday and Saturday, nights are still expected to be close to freezing, Clark said.

The only below-freezing night Lodi has seen so far this winter was on Dec. 13, 2017, Clark said. While one night in January dipped to 33, the area has seen unseasonably warm weather.

The National Weather Service has issued a freeze warning lasting until 8 a.m. Wednesday for the Central Valley, including the Lodi area.

While weather patterns in the Arctic sometimes bring chilly weather to the Great Plains and East Coast — and may freeze parts of Europe this week, according to some reports — California’s cold snap has a different cause.

The high pressure ridge that played a role in the state’s long drought has shifted to the west, and cold air from western Canada is moving to fill the gap.

This time of year, western Canada is very cold, with a heavy snowpack and not much light, said meteorologist Eric Kurth, based at the Sacramento office of the National Weather Service. That means cold, dry air sits above that region during much of the winter.

“If the weather pattern allows, it can drop south,” he said.

Normally, that cold air enters the Great Plains, but every five or 10 years, it drops south along the West Coast, bringing record lows with it, he said.

Cold air traveling to Lodi normally comes from the Gulf of Alaska or the Pacific and carries more moisture, Kurth said.

“Even last year, we had quite a bit of precipitation,” Kurth said.

It’s just not as frigid as the dry, freezing weather Canada will be sharing with California this week.

“It’s cool, but it’s not like over the land,” he said.

While Lodi may see a little bit of moisture on Thursday, Clark said, it’s unlikely to get anything like steady rainfall. The Sierra may be a little luckier, with 3 to 6 inches of snow in some areas and powder as low as 2,500 feet, he said — but it’s not likely to add much to the snowpack, which is on track to see record lows.

“These are not big storms,” Clark said. “They’re coming down from the north so they’re not bringing much moisture with them.”

Disappointing news for a region that has seen yet another dry winter.

Despite last year’s deluge, parts of California have already dropped back into moderate to severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Southern San Joaquin County has already been labeled “abnormally dry.”

Most of California, including the Lodi area, is likely to see drought conditions by the end of May, according to projections by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Even more worrying is the early bloom. In areas where they’re already harvesting crops like strawberries, a hard freeze can throw a wrench in the works, Clark said — and Southern California is expecting one.

While trees are a bit hardier, frost could damage the already emerging blossoms on almond trees or budding grapevines. Lemons could also be at risk to the colder weather.

“That is a significant thing to worry about,” Clark said.

Those who can bring in plants should do so, he said, and plants should be covered if they’re cold-sensitive and have to remain outside.

Outdoor pets should either be brought inside at night, or given somewhere warm and sheltered to sleep.

“They suffer from cold just as well as humans do, and they can’t put on extra layers,” Clark said.