Hail, thunder, flash flooding occur across Valley as latest storm drenches region
A powerful storm front pounding the central San Joaquin Valley brought flooding to Fresno and Madera streets, pea-sized hail in Tulare County and rock and mudslides to the some areas in nearby foothills Thursday.
Flooding in Fresno was reported at various spots, notably at the intersection of Champlain Drive and Perrin Avenue in the northeast and Maroa Avenue south of Shields Avenue in the central part of town. There were scattered reports of spinouts on central San Joaquin Valley highways during the Thursday morning commute.
A winter storm warning was in effect until 11 p.m. Thursday for the Sierra above 8,000 feet between Yosemite and Kern County, with snow totals of 1 to 2 feet with the possibility of 3 feet. China Peak reported getting so much snow that it won't reopen until Saturday.
The broad, fast-moving atmospheric river dropped 1.69 inches of rain at Fresno Yosemite International Airport in a 48-hour period that ended Thursday morning. Madera received 2.01 inches and Hanford 1.3 inches. In the Sierra, Shaver Lake received 7.45 inches, Dinkey Creek, 7.35 inches and Yosemite Valley 3.81 inches.
Flooding was reported on scattered area roadways, along with mud and rock slides in higher regions. Notably, there was a report of flooding in a Tarpey Village neighborhood. In Tulare County, the California Highway Patrol reported flooding on Highway 63 just north of Visalia. And in Madera County, workers were setting up pumps in some areas to ease flooding.
In the Oakhurst area, the CHP reported a mudslide at Road 274 and Marina View Road. Near Madera, flooding was also reported at Avenue 26 and Road 24.
In central Fresno, drivers hit the brakes and began backing up when approaching the perennial troublespot at the Maroa underpass south of Shields. There was about three feet of water under the railroad bridge. One driver failed to stop in time, stalled his car in the floodwaters and was forced to push the vehicle to higher ground south of the bridge.
A city worker who arrived at the scene said a pump installed to keep water clear was working, but the heavy rainfall overwhelmed the system.
Mark Standriff, a spokesman for the city of Fresno, said the city's drainage system performed as designed, which is to handle one-half inch of rainfall an hour — the maximum volume on average. Champlain is at the bottom of four hills and the Maroa underpass is a low spot in the central part of the city.
Standriff said the brunt of Thursday's storm struck from about 4:30 a.m. to 6 a.m. He compared the downpour to pouring a five-gallon bucket of water in a sink.
As the morning commute hit its stride in the Fresno area, there were reports of spinouts on eastbound Highway 180 near Highway 41, on northbound 41 near Van Ness Avenue and on northbound Highway 99 near Clinton Avenue.
Just before 7 a.m., California Highway Patrol said there were reports of a large tree blocking the slow lane of northbound Highway 99 near the Avenue 24 offramp, between Earlimart and Delano.
In the foothills, the CHP responded to reports of trees down on Auberry Road north of Highway 168, Highway 49 in the Oakhurst area and in Mariposa County.
On the west side of the Valley, flooding was reported on rural roads between Five Points and Highway 33 including Stanislaus, Mt. Whitney and Harlan avenues.
Late Thursday afternoon a dangerous situation developed in Mariposa. A flash flood warning was called for the community by the National Weather Service when a strong band of thunderstorms formed over the area. The warning meant flooding was imminent, especially in the area of where the Detwiler Fire burned. Residents were told to seek higher ground.
Lightning and hail
The rainfall brought much-needed moisture to the region, but the season total Thursday morning for Fresno stood at 4.47 inches, well below the normal of 11.5 inches for the season calculated from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The 2016-2017 season total, in an unusually wet season, was 12.91 inches.
Normal for a season through March 21 is 9.16 inches.
The front was expected to bring as much as another inch to the Valley floor, 1 to 3 inches to the foothills and 3 to 4 inches to higher regions.
A severe thunderstorm warning was issued Thursday afternoon for the central San Joaquin Valley for thunderstorms with heavy rainfall, small hail and gusty winds possible up to 60 mph. Weak funnel clouds-tornadoes were also possible.
And, those weather phenomenon did occur in the South Valley.
Dan Harty, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford, said there were reports of pea-sized hail in Tulare and a funnel cloud was spotted north of Visalia. A lightning strike was the possible cause of a transformer fire in Tulare, police said.
Although thankful for the rain, tree fruit farmers in the South Valley unleashed their hail cannons to try and prevent hail from forming. This time of year, hail can heavily damage the formation of young fruit.
Other farmers cover their trees with netting to keep hail from shredding their trees.
The National Weather Service is calling for dry conditions on Friday. But there is a possibility of light rain on Saturday when yet another storm system takes shape.
This story was originally published March 22, 2018 at 6:35 AM with the headline "Hail, thunder, flash flooding occur across Valley as latest storm drenches region."