Fresno could get more light rain soon amid dry year. Dangerous dense fog expected
Rain returned to a dry central San Joaquin Valley Friday night, with another small storm coming Saturday night that could bring a little more moisture to the region.
Dangerous dense fog also is expected soon in the Valley, said meteorologist Jim Andersen with the National Weather Service at Hanford.
Fresno received about 0.34 inches of rain overnight. Merced got a little more, 0.65 inches.
The Valley’s rainfall totals this year are still far below average.
As of 12:30 a.m. Saturday, Andersen said Fresno’s yearly rainfall total was 0.36. Fresno normally has received 10.24 inches of rain by this time, he said.
The most recent cumulative NWS data for Merced also shows a lag in moisture: 1.49 total inches of rain this year, compared to 11.34 during a normal rain year.
Andersen said while it’s definitely dry, there’s hope in that some past years have started slow for precipitation but delivered more rain later on.
The next possible rainfall in the area should cease by Sunday morning, and is expected to bring less moisture than the storm that came Friday. More rain might be in store for Fresno in the coming days, but meteorologists’ confidence in that right now isn’t very high.
Some snow also fell in the Sierra Nevada overnight, what appeared to be mostly above 5,500 feet in elevation, Andersen said.
Further south, a wind advisory was in effect in Kern County mountains and mountain passes through 4 p.m.
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. warned customers Friday that weekend storms could cause power outages in the Valley. The company issued some storm safety tips, including not touching downed electrical lines, using generators safely, turning off appliances during an outage, and using flashlights instead of candles.
PG&E’s outage map showed less than 50 customers in Fresno without power on Saturday morning.
This story was originally published December 12, 2020 at 11:22 AM.
