Modesto forecast shows little rain until evening. Wind is already blowing

The latest storm got off to a modest start Wednesday but still promised plenty of moisture and wind.

The National Weather Service forecast 2 to 3 inches of rain in the Modesto area Wednesday and Thursday, along with gusts up to 45 miles per hour. Its central Sierra Nevada watershed could get as much as 4 feet of snow.

Friday is expected to start out foggy and turn partly sunny. The weekend could bring another inch of rain to Modesto and 2 feet of mountain snow. The forecast calls for 2 to 3 inches of rain on Monday and Tuesday of next week, and up to 5 feet of snow.

The storms already have caused localized flooding in areas without adequate drainage. The saturated soil could mean trees topping on windy days. The Modesto Police Department reported four of them Wednesday afternoon, on G Street, Mt. Vernon Drive and Covena and Emerson avenues.

Dry Creek at East La Loma Park in Modesto, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023.

The latest round brought 0.21 inches of rain downtown as of 5 pm Wednesday, the Modesto Irrigation District reported. The total stands at 8.9 inches for the water year that started July 1. An average year brings 12.12 inches, mainly from November through March.

The latest forecast said the rain would start up in the Modesto area at about 7 pm Wednesday.

The snowpack is 182 percent of average in the central Sierra Nevada watersheds for Modesto and other area, the California Department of Water Resources said.

Modesto on Tuesday closed the extensive parks along the Tuolumne River and Dry Creek due to the hazard, including erosion of the creekbed.

High water from the weekend storm damaged the bank along Dry Creek at East La Loma Park in Modesto, Calif., Friday, Jan. 3, 2023.

High water from the weekend storm damaged the bank along Dry Creek at East La Loma Park in Modesto, Calif., Friday, Jan. 3, 2023.

Dry Creek at East La Loma Park in Modesto, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023.

Dry Creek at East La Loma Park in Modesto, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023.

Comments are closed.