Modesto will get more rain, snow in its watershed. How do they compare with 2017?
Yet another cold storm Wednesday could bring light rain to Modesto and low-elevation snow to an already-blanketed Sierra Nevada.
As wet as this winter seems, it has a long way to go before matching what happened two years ago: The watersheds of the Tuolumne and Stanislaus rivers both had record runoff, as measured over the 12 months ending Sept. 30.
The Tuolumne ended up at 255 percent of average that year, according to the Turlock Irrigation District, the largest user of the river. The Modesto Irrigation District and San Francisco also tap it.
The Stanislaus had 275 percent of average runoff that year. It supplies the Oakdale and South San Joaquin irrigation districts and the federal Central Valley Project.
The lower Tuolumne ran close to its banks for several months in 2017 because of releases from Don Pedro Reservoir to prepare for runoff from above. New Melones Reservoir had enough space to moderate the lower Stanislaus.
As of Tuesday, the central Sierra snowpack stood at 154 percent of average for the date, the California Department of Water Resources reported. The total runoff for the water year will depend on what else happens this winter and spring, and the occasional summer storms in the mountains.
This year’s conditions, while not record-setting, are nonetheless impressive. The Dodge Ridge ski area near Pinecrest conveyed that in Tuesday’s online update. It has recorded 393 inches of snowfall since last autumn, groomed into a summit base of 119 inches for skiers and snowboarders.
The National Weather Service forecasts less than 0.2 inches of rain in Modesto from the midweek storm. Snow is expected down to about 1,500 feet in elevation in the Sierra, with 2 to 4 inches between 2,000 and 4,000 feet.
Mostly sunny days and highs in the 50s are forecast from Thursday through at least Tuesday, Feb. 26.
This story was originally published February 19, 2019 at 5:27 PM.
