A flood watch and wind alert was issued for the Merced area as another strong atmospheric river storm brings more rain and wind to the Central Valley, according to the National Weather Service.
Merced County will receive wind alerts until 9 p.m. Tuesday and flood monitoring will continue until 11 p.m. Wednesday, weather forecasters said.
About a quarter to a third of an inch of rain was recorded across Merced County from midnight Tuesday to noon Tuesday, according to Dan Harty, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s San Joaquin Valley Office in Hanford. Harty said an additional 1/4 to 0.5 inch of rain could fall in the area for the rest of the day and into Wednesday. In total, in this area he could get nearly an inch of rain in two days.
A thunderstorm is possible in the area Tuesday afternoon, with heavy rain and gusty winds possible up to 40 mph. Harty said gusts of 30 to 40 mph were recorded in the Merced area on Tuesday, and winds are expected to ease in the evening.
Bear Creek was recorded at about 6.6 feet Tuesday morning and could rise to about 15.3 feet by Wednesday morning, forecasters said.
Flood warnings remain in effect for the Stevinson area near the Merced River, which registered a height of 71.3 feet on Tuesday morning. The river is forecast to reach 71.9 feet Wednesday morning.
Mariposa: wind, winter storm
Mariposa has a wind alert in effect until 9 pm Tuesday and a flood watch in effect until 11 pm Wednesday, according to weather forecasters. Harty said about a quarter to half an inch of rain was recorded in the area on Tuesday, with another half to 1.5 inches likely by Wednesday.
A gust of 50 mph was recorded in the Lake McClure area and is expected to taper off Tuesday evening. Hartie said Mariposa County’s Yosemite Valley and areas above 4,000 feet in elevation could get about six inches of snow, and HighHe said the Sierra area could get two to five feet of snow, so it’s not a big deal in winter. A storm warning has been issued.
A winter storm warning is in effect until 11 p.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
