Update: Atmospheric river storm brings rain, outages and possible flooding to Fresno
Thousands of PG&E customers were without power Monday morning as a strong atmospheric river moved into the Fresno area.
Close to 2,000 customers were reported without power just after 8 a.m. in a large area north of Fresno around Friant and Millerton Lake. Power had been restored there around 10:15 a.m.
Another outage in Auberry was impacting 412 customers. There was no estimate as to when power might be restored there.
PG&E also reported more than 800 customers experienced an outage east of Clovis near Shaw and Academy avenues. Power had been restored there by around 9:20 a.m.
The outages were just some of the affects of the storm, which was expected to bring two to three inches of rain to Fresno by Tuesday.
The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch through Wednesday.
“Flooding will be a primary concern for poor drainage areas through cities as well as mudslides/rockslides for higher elevations. Use extreme caution if you need to be out on the roadways today,” the weather service wrote in its daily forecast discussion.
“Excessive rainfall may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations today.”
Bear Creek at McKee Road in Merced County has a high probability for exceeding flood stage by this evening.
The California Highway Patrol reported several downed trees and power lines, along with flood conditions including the Derrick Avenue off-ramp at Interstate 5 in Coalinga.
The city of Fresno announced at a news conference Monday morning proactive measures it is taking to help lessen the impacts of the storm.
This story was originally published January 9, 2023 at 9:14 AM.