Comment on this story
Storms line up
Weather service says dig in and hang on
last updated: January 03, 2008 02:50:38 AM
Multimedia
| Special Weather Statement | ||
|
NOAA Weather Statement as of 2:56 PM PDT on July 4, 2008 ...Temperatures will be heating up across the interior this coming week... High pressure will build over the region Sunday through Tuesday and remain in place through at least Thursday of next week. On Sunday as high pressure begins to build over the interior of northern California...temperatures in the Central Valley will warm into the mid 90s to around 103 degrees. Warming is expected to continue Monday and Tuesday with temperatures ranging from the upper 90s to around 110 for the hottest locations. The heat is expected to last for most of next week with nighttime temperatures cooling off into the 60s to mid 70s in the Central Valley and foothills. Mountain locations will warm up into the 80s to around 100 degrees with nighttime temperatures cooling off into the 50s to lower 70s. In addition to the heat...the airmass over the region is expected to once again become progressively more stagnant next week. Smoke from the wildfires burning across the region will be trapped below a strong temperature inversion associated with the strong high pressure and may filter into the Central Valley. Stay indoors as much as possible during the peak heating of the day. If you have to work or plan on any recreational activities outdoors...drink plenty of water ...wear light colored clothing and take frequent breaks from the sun. Heat can affect anyone. However...children...the elderly...people with medical conditions and those engaged in strenuous outdoor activities will be the ones most impacted by the hot weather. Should smoke accumulate in the Central Valley...people are advised to limit outdoor activities and prolonged exposure to the smoky air...especially those with respiratory conditions...older adults...and Young children. People with health conditions that could be aggravated by the smoke and are concerned about their exposure should be thinking now about how they may avoid the smoke next week.
| ||
| CURRENT WEATHER CONDITIONS | ||
|
Clear, 76°F
(at 8:53 pm in Modesto) | ||
| THREE DAY FORECAST | ||
Today |
Sunday |
Monday |
|
High: 94 Low: 63 |
High: 99 Low: 67 |
High: 104 Low: 70 |
| Click Here For A Complete Report! | ||
The High Five
Most Emailed Stories
Most Commented Stories
- Dad who killed toddler wasn't on drugs, report says
- Fourth of July Celebrations
- Thompson cleared of killing Merced County girls
- Colorado pastor lambastes a witness for prosecution in Porter murder trial
- Law & Order
The High Five are the five most-read stories, updated hourly.
The weather is about to turn cold, wet and very windy.
Two storms are expected to bring heavy rain to the Northern San Joaquin Valley and blizzard conditions to the mountains beginning today, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters predict the valley also will face the strongest wind in a decade.
The storms coming out of the Gulf of Alaska won't give residents much time to recover through the weekend.
"They're going to come right on the heels of one another," said Cynthia Palmer, a wea-ther service forecaster.
A south wind of 20 mph to 35 mph is possible starting tonight ahead of the stronger storm Friday. The weather serv-ice said Friday's wind gusts could hit 40 mph in the valley and as much as 65 mph in the foothills, with higher gusts over the peaks.
Forecasters predict rain today through Saturday for the Modesto area with the chances of rain decreasing Sunday and into next week. Pal-mer said the storms are expected to dump 2 to 5 inches of rain on the valley by Sunday.
She said snow levels initially will be at 6,000 feet in the central Sierra east of Sonora, but the snow levels are expected to drop to 4,500 feet Friday and possibly to 2,500 feet by Saturday.
The Lake Tahoe region could accumulate up to 10 feet of fresh snow by Sunday at higher elevations, forecasters predict. That's good news for ski resorts but bad news for people driving over mountain passes to get there.
The California Highway Patrol urged drivers to be aware of the possibility of flooded roads, wind gusts and low visibility.
The combination of strong wind and several inches of snowfall per hour creates dangerous and blizzardlike conditions in the mountains, said officer Tom Wills in the CHP's Sonora office.
He said heavy snowfall is expected in higher elevations, where "whiteout conditions" could develop.
"That's when you get vertical snow and there's snow flying everywhere," said Wills, who experienced similar weather while living in North Dakota for four years. "It's worse than driving in fog. Your whole world is white."
If you must drive in higher elevations this weekend, Wills said, keep the gas tank full and carry food, water, blankets and shovels to clear snow from tailpipes and tires.
If heavy, blowing snow develops, Wills said, drivers should look for markers on the side of the road called "snow stakes" to keep the vehicle on the road.
A blizzard warning is in effect for the mountains from 4 a.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Saturday, according to the weather service.
Sustained wind may bring down large tree limbs as well as shallow-rooted trees. Forecasters urge residents to tie down loose objects outside or bring them inside.
If drivers are caught in windy weather, Wills said, "Keep both hands on the steering wheel and keep the speed down."
Before traveling, check California road conditions by calling 800-427-7623 or 916-445-1534, or go to www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi.
Bee staff writer Rosalio Ahumada can be reached at rahumada@modbee.com or 578-2394.
Modbee.com is pleased to be able to offer its users the opportunity to make comments and hold conversations online. However, the interactive nature of the internet makes it impracticable for our staff to monitor each and every posting.
Since Modbee.com does not control user submitted statements, we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted on our website. In addition, we remind anyone interested in making an online comment that responsibility for statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not The Modesto Bee.
If you find a comment offensive, clicking on the exclamation icon will flag the comment for review by the administrators, we are counting on the good judgment of all our readers to help us.
Network Affiliate
Copyright © 2008, The Modesto Bee.
