Fresno ties rain record, Merced hit even harder - and more wet weather is on the way
Fresno tied an almost 70-year-old single-day rainfall record Sunday — while areas north of the city like Merced were hit even harder, according to the National Weather Service.
Sunday’s rainfall in Fresno exactly matched the Dec. 1, 1952, high of .78 inches of rain.
“They tied it to the hundredth,” said Jim Dudley, a NWS meteorologist. “Right on the nose.”
While Fresno was meeting records with less than an inch of rain measured, areas farther north received heavier rainfall. Dudley estimated the last storm dumped 2 to 3 inches of rain on Merced.
“In this are of the Valley, Merced received the bulk of the rain,” Dudley said.
Official measurements were unavailable for Merced County on account of a faulty rain gauge. Dudley said the gauge was being fixed Monday.
Unofficial 48 hour reports from home weather stations showed rainfall as high as 3.07 inches in northwest Merced. Northeast Merced measurements read 2.14 inches. Lake McClure in Mariposa County received 3.42 inches.
“That’s a significant rain,” Dudley said.
A winter storm warning for elevations above 7,000 feet in the Yosemite area remained in effect until 4 p.m. Monday. The NWS advised drivers to expect slippery, snowy roads and check for tire-chain restrictions. Check the Caltrans website for current road conditions.
A flood watch for the Sierra Nevada Mountains and foothills expired at 4 p.m. as well.
San Joaquin Valley weather should dry out this evening as the band of rain and snow lifts northward, Dudley said.
Merced is projected to be mostly sunny Tuesday, with temperatures in the low 60s. Rain is expected to fall again Wednesday. Temperatures will cool, with a high around 57 degrees. The sunshine should return again Thursday as temperatures rise to around 60 degrees.
Fresno will see a similar weather pattern, with sunshine and a high of 61 degrees Tuesday. Rain is likely Wednesday, with high temperatures reaching 57 degrees. The sun, and warmer temperatures around 61 degrees, will return to Fresno on Thursday.
Another storm will move into the Valley on Friday and last through the weekend, Dudley said. It is expected to be a more typical winter storm, which will move in and out quickly without dropping the intense amount of rainfall seen last weekend, he said.
The past weekend’s storm was an atmospheric river — a column of vapor that can cause extreme rainfall and floods over a relatively small area. Dudley said Merced was “fortunate enough” to be that small area the atmospheric river targeted.
This story was originally published December 2, 2019 at 12:50 PM with the headline "Fresno ties rain record, Merced hit even harder - and more wet weather is on the way."
