Soggy conditions continue in Modesto, but there is an end in sight
It was another soggy day in the Northern San Joaquin Valley on Thursday, but the area escaped the wild weather experienced in other parts of the state.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning Thursday morning for communities in Calaveras and Tuolumne counties. Several areas reported localized flooding and windy conditions.
Locally, the Modesto Irrigation District recorded more than a third of an inch of rain between Wednesday and Thursday. Several fender-bender crashes were reported, as well as a fatal crash in rainy conditions on Interstate 5 near Newman early Thursday.
Nothern and Southern California both saw unusually wet conditions. Several homes were evacuated and a house slid down a hill in Sausalito, near San Francisco, the Associated Press reported. And the Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain theme parks closed due to weather.
The recent storms have brought much of the state out of drought conditions: Nearly 37 percent of California had no level of drought or abnormal dryness, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported Thursday, according to the Associated Press. About 10.5 percent of the state was in moderate drought, just over 1.6 percent was in severe drought. The remainder was in the abnormally dry category. The numbers reflect data gathered up to Tuesday.
Anyone looking for sunshine will have to wait. Weather Service forecasters predict rain showers off and on in the Modesto area into the holiday weekend, clearing out by the Presidents Day holiday Monday. High temperatures will be in the lower 50s, with lows dipping into the mid 30s.
And then, next week, there’s another chance of rain.
This story was originally published February 14, 2019 at 5:02 PM.
