How long will break last for Modesto from heavy rain, gusting winds and falling trees?
Modesto is getting a break through the weekend from the heavy rain, as well as the gusting winds that knocked down trees and caused isolated power failures.
After totaling nearly 1.57 inches of rain since Thursday of last week, according to the Modesto Irrigation District, Modesto can expect days that range from clear and sunny to mostly cloudy, with highs in the low to mid-60s through the weekend.
Nighttime lows will be in the mid-40s except Wednesday, when the low is expected to be 39 degrees.
The National Weather Service forecast calls for a chance of rain Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday. Meteorologist Eric Kurth with its Sacramento office said maybe a 10th of an inch could fall over those three days in total.
Kurth said the winds will range from 5 to 10 mph, though there could be gusts of as much as 20 mph Wednesday. He said a wind gust of 40 mph was reported as of noon Tuesday at the Modesto Airport.
The city’s forestry division received 138 calls over the past two days, with 95 for what Modesto spokesman Andrew Gonzales called tree failures, which includes broken limbs, downed trees and branches, or split trunks.
Forty-five calls were for downed trees, and there were 15 reports of property damage caused by trees.
Gonzales said the city’s Utilities Department responded to 76 calls for service since Friday of last week. The calls could include backed-up storm drains or isolated street flooding.
“Crews are working late trying to respond to the residents’ calls for service,” Gonzales said.
Kurth said as much as an inch of rain could fall in Modesto from Monday through next Wednesday morning. The system also could have wind gusts of 25 mph.
The Modesto Irrigation District reported that as of Wednesday, 16.66 inches of rain has fallen in downtown since the July 1 start of the rain season. That’s about 4.5 inches more than Modesto receives in a typical rain season.
This story was originally published March 15, 2023 at 12:33 PM.
