Be careful. Atmospheric river pounding Fresno area packs rainy, windy punch
The next round of storms is expected to soak Fresno for several days, and the National Weather Service urged California residents to avoid traveling if possible.
Sunday “would be the best day” to get errands done, said Dan Harty, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Hanford.
The area, he said, had seen about .20 of an inch of rain as part of the smaller storm that hit the area Saturday night and through Sunday.
“This is like an initial wave — a little disturbance,” Harty said.
Atmospheric river brings heavy rain, winds to Fresno
The atmospheric river’s big storm expected to roll into Fresno on Sunday night and through Tuesday could dump as much as 2.5 inches of rain. The heaviest downpour is expected Monday through Tuesday.
“That’s a lot of rain in a short period of time,” he said. “Too much, too quick ... Definitely avoid travel if it all possible is the biggest message.”
A general flood watch is in place for the central San Joaquin Valley. If people need to travel during the storm, they should drive slowly and avoid flooded roads because it’s difficult to know how deep the water can be, Harty said. Especially in the foothill areas where the storm is expected to pour anywhere from 3 to 6 inches, or higher, of rainfall, and underneath the flooded areas, there could be rocks.
The Sierra Nevada mountains are expected to receive several feet of snow. Water runoff along burn-scar areas from old wildfires remains a concern.
“Rivers and streams will be running high,” Harty said.
A new wind advisory may be issued for overnight Sunday through Monday for the Valley and the foothill areas, he said.
The Fresno area will then get a break after Tuesday.
“Right now, it’s looking like things will settle down for us on Wednesday,” Harty said.
It’s expected to be dry in the Fresno area on Wednesday and Thursday, but dense fog is in the forecast beginning Wednesday and through the end of the week.
Areas of the Sierra near Shaver Lake are forecast to get around eight inches of snow.
As of early Sunday, the Fresno area had seen around an inch of rain since the start of the year, Harty said.
This story was originally published January 8, 2023 at 10:15 AM.
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