Winter storm hits Fresno, Valley. Here’s how much rain your area got – and what’s in store
Central Valley residents should prepare for “very active” on and off rainfall and wet roads over the next two weeks.
As of 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Fresno and Merced recorded .78 and .84 inches of precipitation since Monday evening, respectively. Meanwhile, Visalia, Madera, and Hanford recorded around .5 inches of rain each.
The foothill communities of Shaver Lake and Huntington Lake saw between 1.78 inches and 1.36 inches, respectively.
Along with the rain, the Valley has seen some “nuisance flooding,” with reports coming from areas such as Sanger, Los Banos, and other areas with poor drainage, Andy Bollenbacher, lead forecaster at the National Weather Service in Hanford, told The Bee on Tuesday morning.
Tuesday’s storm will subside around midnight to 2 a.m on Wednesday, which is a little faster than initial forecasts predicted, but Bollenbacher said the rainstorms would be “very active” over the next 10-14 days.
A minor storm is passing through on Thursday, and on Saturday, another “strong” rainstorm will hit the San Joaquin Valley and adjacent foothills.
Bollenbacher warns drivers and holiday travelers to take extra precautions on the road.
“Slow down in the rain,” he said.” You don’t want to hydroplane.”
Snow, road closures in the foothills
As of Tuesday morning, a Winter Storm Warning was in place for communities above 6,000 feet.
Communities at higher elevations, around 8,000, should expect to see two to three feet of snow.
Just before noon on Tuesday, Yosemite National Park tweeted that El Portal Road, the continuation of Highway 140 into Yosemite Valley from El Portal, is closed due to a significant rockfall.
Will Central Valley rain help with drought?
While the Central Valley experienced a dryer-than-normal 2022, December precipitation levels are likely to be above average.
On average, Fresno experienced 1.79 inches of rainfall in December.
December 2022 has already experienced 2.61 inches of rain as of Dec. 26., said NWS Hanford Meteorologist JP Kalb. December 2021 also saw above-average rainfalls, at 3.64 total inches of rain.
Kalb said the December rains would potentially bring the Central Valley out of the D4 “Exceptional Drought” category into D3 “Extreme Drought” category.
More details are expected on Thursday when the drought monitor data is released.
Central Valley rain totals
Here’s how much rain had fallen in various parts of the Central San Joaquin Valley as of 12:30 pm, according to the NWS Hanford.
Fresno: .78 inches
Madera: .45 inches
Merced: .84 inches
Visalia: .56 inches
Hanford: .57 inches
Shaver Lake: 1.78 inches
Huntington Lake: 1.36 inches
This story was originally published December 27, 2022 at 1:20 PM.
