Rain, snow fall across Central California into Saturday, then sun returns

Rain and snow are expected to keep falling across Central California into Saturday before a drying period occurs, the National Weather Service said.

A winter storm warning will remain in effect for the Sierra until midday Saturday due to a new storm pushing through the region. Cold air aloft on Saturday morning will drop the snow level to 5,000 feet. Up to 3 feet of new snow was expected above 7,000 feet as a result of Friday and Saturday’s storms.

On the floor of the central San Joaquin Valley, showers remain in the forecast and thunderstorms are possible after noon. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is expected, but that could jump if thunderstorms develop, the NWS said. Winds Saturday will blow from 10 to 15 mph, with gusts to 20 mph.

By 11 a.m. Friday, Fresno had recorded .98 of an inch of rain in a 24-hour period. It was the wettest reading for a town in the Valley. Others were Merced, .14; Madera, .13; Hanford, .20; Lemoore, .11, and Visalia, .01.

Shaver Lake recorded 1.79 inches of precipitation, while Yosemite National Park had 1.44.

Fresno’s season total is 14.64 inches since Oct. 1, compared to the seasonal normal of 11.5 inches.

Friday’s storm created a few isolated flooding issues, according to city of Fresno spokesman Mark Standriff. The Wishon underpass south of Shields Avenue, historically a problem area, flooded overnight due to a pump problem, and two cars stalled there. The pumping was later fixed. Water accumulations were also reported on Palm Avenue south of Shields.

Precipitation comes to an end Saturday afternoon and conditions stay dry on Sunday. Skies remain mostly sunny through Wednesday, but a chance for more rain comes Wednesday night, the NWS said.

This story was originally published April 7, 2017 at 7:01 AM with the headline "Rain, snow fall across Central California into Saturday, then sun returns."