Valley rain, Sierra snow will clear for a sunny week

Soak it in. The rain that came Sunday in Stanislaus County should be the last of it for the week, as the National Weather Service forecast calls for sunny to mostly sunny days at least through Saturday.

As of 5 p.m. Sunday, downtown Modesto had received 0.11 inches of rain, all after 6 a.m., according to the Modesto Irrigation District.

Sonora was getting heavy rain Sunday morning, and the Pinecrest area, at elevation 5,600 feet, was getting snow. It began about 8:15 a.m. and has been accumulating, said Robin Grove at the Pinecrest Market about 10 a.m.

“It seems to me like a dry snow, blowing on the roads,” she said. It’s the second storm of the fall, but the first snow melted during warmer weather, Grove said.

Dodge Ridge ski resort, with a base elevation of 6,600 feet, had accumulated about 2 inches of snow by 10 a.m., said President and CEO Sally Helm. “It’s snowing heavily now, and we expect to receive 4 inches, maybe up to 8 – they’re all over the map with the forecast,” she said.

The Tuolumne County ski area is off Highway 108 about 30 miles east of Sonora. “This is a great storm for us because this is the third we’ve had in the past three weeks, so it’s helping to build our base for an early December opening – that’s what we’re hopeful for,” Helm said. “Because what’s happened is the last three snows have gotten progressively colder, which helps build the base.”

At Dodge Ridge summit, elevation 8,200 feet, there’s a base depth of 18 inches and growing, Helm said. “We’ll go out and pack the snow down with grooming machines so we can seal the snow, and that helps hold the snow longer – it takes the air out of it. With good, cold temperatures in the forecast, we just need that 2-footer storm for a strong start to the season.”

Drivers heading to the hills should know that on Highway 108, chains are required from 5 miles west of Long Barn to 7 miles east of Long Barn, and from Pinecrest to 26 miles east of Strawberry. The highway is closed from 26 miles east of Strawberry to 5 miles west of Sonora Pass.

Law enforcement agencies in the San Joaquin Valley and Sierra Nevada foothills reported no vehicle crashes beyond fender benders. “Just little skid-outs, nothing major,” said a dispatcher at the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office.

The forecast for Sunday night in Modesto was a 40 percent chance of scattered showers before 10 p.m.

Monday will be mostly sunny, with a high near 58. The highs the rest of the week should be near 62 Tuesday, near 65 Wednesday through Friday, and near 62 Saturday.

This story was originally published November 15, 2015 at 10:49 AM with the headline "Valley rain, Sierra snow will clear for a sunny week."