More rain causes flooding in foothills. But sunny conditions on the horizon for Fresno area

A rain shower moving through the Fresno region dropped about a quarter-inch of moisture on the Fresno area on Tuesday, leaving some isolated flooding as it moved east during the night.

In its wake, Wednesday was sunny and breezy. The National Weather Service reported that will be followed by dry weather Thursday and Friday before more precipitation is expected to arrive during the weekend.

The storm front dumped nearly .30 of an inch of rain in the Merced area in the same time 24-hour time frame, said meteorologist Carlos Molina of the weather service in Hanford.

Heavier rainfall fell in isolated areas, causing isolated flooding incidents around the central San Joaquin Valley.

The California Highway Patrol reported that the intersection of Auberry Road and Copper Avenue was submerged about 8 p.m.

Molina said it’s typical of a weather front to drop more rain as it moves into the foothills. The flooding could also be due to the fact that the ground is completely saturated by recent heavy precipitation.

In Merced County, the Sheriff’s Office reported that Highway 59 was closed between Reilly Road and Sandy Mush Road.

The Fresno rainfall total for the season, stretching from Oct. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2023, now stands at 13.06 inches — more than an inch over normal compared to a typical season of 12 inches of rain for a 12-month span.

This story was originally published February 28, 2023 at 9:27 PM.