Thunderstorm possible for Fresno; storm causes rockslides in mountain areas

Update: The foothills has been issued a flood advisory until 11:30 p.m., said the National Weather Service.

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Update: A flood advisory has been issued for the west side of the San Joaquin Valley until 8:45 p.m., the National Weather Service in Hanford said.

The advisory includes sections of Merced and extends south as far as Avenal.

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The central San Joaquin Valley, foothills and mountain areas were hit with rain and snow Saturday night, filling China Peak and Shaver Lake and causing a few road problems because of rockslides.

Fresno got 0.20 inches of rain since 9 p.m. Friday, with up to a quarter inch more expected Sunday, the National Weather Service said.

Shaver Lake received 6 to 7 inches overnight, according to the Visitors Bureau. “There’s plenty of snow right now,” said a spokesperson with the bureau. “It’s on and off raining and light snow,” he said around 11:30 a.m. Sunday.

The China Peak Ski Resort announced via phone that it was a “challenging weather day,” but the resort remains open. The announcement said there was plenty of snow to last well into the summer.

On Sunday, there were multiple reports of rockslides. At Highway 198 and Mineral King Road, a boulder was reported to be blocking half the roadway around 9 a.m., according to California Highway Patrol logs.

Across Highway 168 and Flintridge on the way to China Peak, snow crossed both lanes. A hard closure was in effect as of 11 a.m. for Highway 198 southwest of Coalinga for a rockslide across both lanes of the highway.

There were “basketball-sized” rocks in the slow lane at Highway 168 and Auberry Road, the CHP said.

Highway 198 was closed from west of Coalinga to Highway 25, according to Caltrans. Along the coast, the Pacific Coast Highway and Highway 101 were experiencing closures due to rockslides, including points in Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo.

Highway 395 toward Mammoth Lakes is also closed because of “white-out conditions,” the CHP said.

A wind advisory was in effect for parts of the Valley until 10 p.m. Sunday. Gusts over 50 mph were forecast for the mountains along Interstate 5. Damage can occur if winds are any stronger than that, the weather service said.

A winter storm warning will continue until 10 a.m. Monday for the Sierra Nevada, where the intense storm was expected to bring lots of snow and high winds causing reduced visibility, the weather service said. Power outages are likely. Snow levels are expected to start out at 4,000 feet, then rise to 6,000 feet and drop down to 3,000 feet by Monday morning.

A thunderstorm is possible for the Fresno area Sunday evening and overnight, with rain likely until Monday when chances fall to 50 percent in the evening.

Fog is expected after the rain clears on Tuesday and drier weather will move in. Dense fog and temperatures in the mid- to high 50s can be expected for the rest of the week, the weather service said.

This story was originally published January 22, 2017 at 12:32 PM with the headline "Thunderstorm possible for Fresno; storm causes rockslides in mountain areas."