Winter storm brings heavy rain, high winds to Fresno region. Will dry weather follow?

As predicted, an initial band of rain showers moved into the central San Joaquin Valley overnight and is expected to bring large rain totals — up to 2 inches in some spots — through Tuesday.

That rain will be accompanied by high winds, according to the National Weather Service, which has issued two wind advisories and a high wind warning for the area. The advisories are in place for the stretch of the San Joaquin Valley from Merced to Bakersfield and for the west side mountains along Interstate 5, where sustained winds could get up to 35 mph.

The high wind warning is for the south end of the Valley from Bakersfield to the Grapevine, where the strongest winds (gusts up to 75 mph) are expected to occur.

The weather service is warning of downed trees and power outages.

A winter storm warning has been called for the Sierra Nevada for areas north and south of Sequoia National Park, where 2 to 4 feet of snow is expected at elevations above 5,000 feet. Snow levels could fall below 4,000 by Tuesday morning. China Peak Mountain Resort at Huntington Lake is keeping a running tab of its snow totals on its website.

It had seen 3 inches as of 7 a.m. Monday and several feet is expected, which will allow the resort to open on Friday.

The storm will clear out by Wednesday and dry weather should return, for the day at least.

A weaker system drops into the area on Thursday followed by the possibility of easterly mono winds, the weather service says.

This is the time of year for it. Mono winds closed parts of Yosemite National Park last January, as felled trees and power lines caused major destruction in areas around the park including Bass Lake and Oakhurst.

This story was originally published December 13, 2021 at 8:43 AM.