Modesto rain stays ahead of average, but Sierra snow lags

The first in a wave of storms brought moderate rain to the Modesto area Thursday, along with accidents on the slick streets.

The Modesto Irrigation District reported 0.39 inches in its downtown gauge as of 5 p.m., bringing the total to 3.88 inches for the rainfall year that started July 1. The historical average to date is about 2.5 inches.

The more important Sierra Nevada snowpack is not doing so well. It stood at 52 percent of average in the central part of the range as of Thursday, the California Department of Water Resources reported. The main part of the season has just begun and will go through March.

The Dodge Ridge ski area has not announced an opening day, but it projected mid-December if it got another good storm after an early-month lull. That is typical timing for the Pinecrest-area attraction.

Despite warnings from authorities about driving in wet conditions, area roadways were a mess Thursday morning. There were several accidents reported by the California Highway Patrol, including these three in Modesto:

▪ A car hit a traffic signal in a solo crash at Claribel and Claus roads about 9:50 a.m.

▪ A big rig and a car collided at Seventh Street and Morgan Road about 9:50 a.m.

▪ About 10 a.m., a Modesto Area Express bus collided with a car at El Vista and Miller avenues. There were only a few passengers in the bus at the time of the accident, and there was only minor damage to the front of the bus.

The car suffered serious damage; the driver was taken to a local hospital with unknown injuries.

The National Weather Service forecast a 60 percent chance of Modesto-area rain both Friday and Saturday. Rain could return Monday night and continue at least until Thursday.

This story was originally published December 8, 2016 at 6:18 PM with the headline "Modesto rain stays ahead of average, but Sierra snow lags."