No break from rain in Modesto this week, weather service says. Dodge Ridge set to open
Wet weather will continue for much of the week in Modesto, according to the National Weather Service forecast.
Get out of the Valley and above 6,000 feet in the Sierra, though, and the drops are replaced by flakes. That’s allowing the Dodge Ridge Wintersports Area to begin its season Friday.
The Modesto Irrigation District reports there’s been measurable rain daily since Nov. 26. The final days of November brought 0.62 inches, while rainfall on Sunday was 0.55 inches and on Monday was 0.33 inches as of noon.
The National Weather Service said 3 to 8 inches of snow was expected by Monday evening at elevations above 6,500 feet. And between Monday night and Wednesday, it said, Sonora pass is expected to get 6 to 8 inches, Ebbetts Pass 4 to 6 inches, and Tioga Pass 8 to 12 inches.
Dodge Ridge, located in Pinecrest, reported Monday morning that it had received overnight 15 inches of snow at its summit, 6 inches at the base. Those elevations are 8,200 feet and 6,600 feet, respectively. An additional 5 inches was expected to fall by the end of Monday.
“Since the storm began Saturday afternoon, we’ve received 29 inches at the summit, 13 inches at the base and 62 inches for the season,” according to its website. “We’ll have a break in the weather midweek before the next storm system arrives Friday, delivering 1 to 2 feet of snowfall, with colder temperatures in the teens to 20s expected.” Daily highs through Thursday are predicted to range from the lower to upper 30s.
Up to 80 percent of the mountain is set to open at 9 a.m. Friday, Dodge Ridge said on its Facebook page. To learn more, go to www.dodgeridge.com.
Modesto and Turlock police watch commanders said Monday morning they’d heard of no serious collisions over the weekend, especially ones related to rain. Turlock Lt. Joey Mercado did say that clogged storm drains caused street flooding in the city that would keep crews busy Monday.
The California Highway Patrol’s Traffic Incident Information Page online showed a couple of noninjury collisions in the Modesto area, and all of Old Priest Grade Road in Tuolumne County was closed. On the west edge of Tuolumne County, near the Calaveras County line, the CHP reported several rock and mud slides onto the roadway where O’Byrnes Ferry Road meets Old O’Byrnes Ferry Road.
About 7:45 a.m. Monday, Modesto-area CHP spokesman Officer Thomas Olsen said his office had responded to seven collisions since midnight Sunday, but none of them with serious injuries. “Many are a result of unsafe speed for the roadway conditions,” he said. “We ask all motorists to increase their following distance and lower their speed according to the weather conditions.”
The chance of rain Tuesday is 30 percent, it says, increasing to 60 percent by nightfall.
Wednesday holds a 60 percent chance of rain, mainly before 11 a.m., then decreasing to a 30 percent chance. Wednesday night and Thursday are expected to be mostly cloudy, but with no precipitation.
A chance of rain returns Thursday night, and then is likely Friday and Saturday. Sunday should be mostly sunny, the forecast says.
Daily high temperatures are predicted to be in the upper 50s all week.
This story was originally published December 2, 2019 at 8:20 AM.
