Some ‘pretty darn cold’ rain headed to Fresno. Snow to blanket foothill communities
A series of cold rainstorms have been predicted for Fresno this week, meteorologists said Monday.
There is a chance of rain Tuesday through Saturday in Fresno and much of the San Joaquin Valley, along with chilly winds, according to the National Weather Service in Hanford.
“It’s going to be pretty darn cold,” meteorologist Jim Bagnell said.
The service says the heaviest portion of the first rainstorm is expected late Wednesday into Thursday evening. As much as a quarter-inch is predicted in Fresno, Merced, Visalia and much of the Valley.
The second is forecast for Thursday night and into late Friday. That storm could bring more rainfall (as much as a half-inch in the Valley) but less snow, the service says.
Yosemite Valley may see as much as 3 feet of snow and around 18 inches at Tioga Pass in the first storm, forecasters said. The second storm prediction shows about half as much snowfall in each area.
A Winter Storm Watch was issued by the service for the Sierra Nevada beginning 4 p.m. Tuesday. Snowfall is expected in the foothill communities, so travel will be “extremely difficult or nearly impossible,” according to the weather service.
“That doesn’t happen too often,” he said. “Snow levels will be down to 1,000-foot (elevation).”
That could lead to closed roads, he said.
Forecasters also said the Grapevine on Interstate 5 and Tehachapi Pass on Highway 58 might be closed for a significant amount of time after snow falls there starting Tuesday. The heaviest snow is forecast for Thursday.
While warmer-than-normal highs in the upper 60s are expected on Tuesday, temperatures will drop again with the storms, forecasters say. The lows will reach the mid-30s, with highs around 50.
Those temperatures during the rainfall are unseasonably cold for this time of year when the average high is 62, and the low is 50, Bagnell said.
The Valley is also expected to get gusty winds Tuesday of 40 to 45 mph, which could throw dust around, affect high-profile vehicles on the highway, and potentially knock down trees and branches.
This story was originally published February 20, 2023 at 10:35 AM.
