After cold snap, rain isn’t the only rough weather headed toward Fresno and the Valley
Continued cold as well as rain will be accompanied by high winds as Fresno and the rest of the central San Joaquin Valley deal with harsh winter weather.
With the precipitation already looming, a wind advisory is also in the forecast as the storm system moves into the Valley.
A high wind watch is set to take effect at 4 a.m. Monday and last until 4 a.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service office in Hanford. Sustained southerly winds are expected to blow from 15 to 25 mph, with gusts to 40 mph possible, in areas of Fresno, Merced, Kings, Kern, Madera and Tulare counties.
The Weather Service on Sunday warned that winds could cause unsecured objects to be blown around and create the possibility of power outages. Anyone outdoors is advised to be mindful of trees, as winds can cause limbs to snap and fall to the ground.
Rain, meanwhile, is expected to start falling in the Merced area overnight Sunday into Monday and then spread southward.
Fresno, Merced, Madera and Visalia are among the cities that may see as much as 2 inches of rain, according to meteorologist Jim Bagnall.
Mariposa, Oakhurst and Shaver Lake could receive 4 to 6 inches of rain and the higher elevations will see snow.
The snow level is expected initially to be limited to elevations of 5,000 to 6,000 feet and above in the Sierra Nevada, but then possibly fall as low as 3,000 feet as the storm winds down Tuesday night.
Yosemite Valley is expected to see 1 to 3 inches of snow between Monday and Tuesday, according to Bagnall.
Low temperatures also will persist. Overnight temperatures in Fresno are expected to dip into the mid-40s overnight Sunday and Monday, then fall to the mid-30s overnight Tuesday into Wednesday.
Highs the next couple of days are expected to be in the low 50s.
This story was originally published December 12, 2021 at 5:54 PM with the headline "After cold snap, rain isn’t the only rough weather headed toward Fresno and the Valley."