Storm blows through Stanislaus County, knocks down trees, causes flooding
A strong storm that blew through Stanislaus County starting Tuesday night resulted in hundreds of calls to public safety workers for fallen trees and limbs that damaged property and blocked roadways, downed utility poles and lines that caused power failures, street flooding, rock slides and more.
There were, however, no reports of major structure damage or injuries, according to Modesto-area law enforcement.
The National Weather Service had a high-wind warning in effect through 8 a.m. Wednesday as gusts of more than 60 mph and steady winds of up to 40 mph were felt throughout the county beginning Tuesday night. A weather service list of peak winds over the past 24 hours showed 51 mph in Modesto and 56 in Knights Ferry.
Gusts did the usual things, like carrying off patio umbrellas and knocking down portable basketball hoops. It also apparently was responsible for some more unusual things, as this post on a Turlock Facebook group Wednesday morning suggests: “If you’re missing a trampoline, check the canal off of Taylor road near Walnut Road.”
City of Modesto spokesman Thomas Reeves told The Bee shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday that forestry crews had received 600 to 700 calls regarding tree failure. “We have been prioritizing for public safety and responding around the clock,” he said. “It may take several days to respond to teach call, but we will.”
Nearly an inch of rain fell Wednesday morning, most of it between 2 and 4 a.m., according to the Modesto Irrigation District.
Crews this morning were on the 1600 block of Dallas Street, near Butte Avenue, attending to a downed tree that was blocking the road.
Dallas Street also was flooded. Several drivers went onto the sidewalk and around the tree to get through, while numerous others turned back.
There were several reports of street flooding throughout the county.
A few vehicles suffered damage in Waterford, according to the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department. The Modesto Police Department reported receiving more than 18 calls of trees down, and several intersections were without traffic lights.
Live wires prompt Turlock shelter-in-place
In Turlock, police and fire crews got calls about sporadic power failures throughout the city that affected traffic lights and residences.
Police spokesman Sgt. Michael Parmley said that at the request of the Fire Department, his department put out a shelter-in-place phone call to about 70 residents in the area of the 3800 block of Ruble when a power pole fell, putting live wires on the ground. More than two hours later, a second call lifted the shelter request.
Officer Thomas Olsen of the California Highway Patrol reported receiving calls about debris but there were no major traffic incidents.
Since midnight, the CHP Modesto office took 19 calls of hazards in roadways, ranging from trees and branches to standing water and downed power lines, he said.
There were 11 vehicle collision calls, Olsen added, none with more than minor injury. “Most appear to be solo vehicle collisions involving a vehicle coming off the roadway,” he said in an email. “This is usually an indicator of unsafe speed regarding the roadway conditions.”
He urged drivers to lower their speed, expect delays and be extremely vigilant for changing roadway conditions. “Drivers should never cross through standing water when the roadway surface cannot be seen,” Olsen said. “And remember, an intersection should be treated as a four-way stop when traffic signals are out.”
The Turlock Irrigation District power failure information page online showed that 232 electrical customers in the Lake Road area of La Grange lost power about 11 p.m. Tuesday. In Delhi, 125 TID customers lost power just before 3 a.m. Wednesday. Service apparently was restored to both areas.
An update on the outage page shortly after 11 a.m. showed 69 customers without power since 8 in the Youngstown Road area of Turlock. Restoration of service was expected by 12:30 p.m.
In Crows Landing, 39 customers should have their power back on by 4 p.m., TID said.
A tweet by the Turlock district midmorning Wednesday advised keeping portable electronic devices charged in the event of further power failures.
MID working to restore power
Shortly after midnight, MID posted on its Facebook page that high winds resulted in “multiple, scattered power outages. Our crews are working to safely restore power to affected areas as soon as possible.”
One customer commented shortly before 6 a.m. that part of the Woodrow Avenue and Tully Road area remained without power. “Looks like neighbors have power across the street, but our side still dark.”
About 10:30 a.m., MID spokeswoman Melissa Williams told The Bee in a text message that several small, scattered power outages throughout its service area still were being addressed.
“Our crews are working as quickly as possible to restore power to affected customers,” she said. “... Our crews stand ready to respond as we’re anticipating another storm with forecasts showing lighter winds this evening. We encourage our customers to be prepared. The best way to report outages is to call MID at 209-526-8222 or 888-897-8222.”
A National Weather Service flash-flood watch for Stanislaus County remains in effect until 4 p.m. Thursday.
Del Puerto Canyon Road is a mess, with rock slides along much of the burn-scar area from the SCU Lightning Complex fires, and more expected as rain continues, Olsen said.
He said he spoke with county road workers and a resident, and all said it’s the worst conditions they’ve seen. None of the road has washed out, and the area is passable, but the slide areas are dangerous — rocks the size of basketballs — there are low-hanging wires and it’s very hard to turn around. Olsen said.
Del Puerto Canyon resident Rhonda Stoppe, who evacuated her home of 30 years during the summer wildfire, said there were no mudslides or falling rocks near her as of early afternoon Wednesday. While it snowed at her property, Stoppe said in a text that no torrential rain meant little damage or flooding. Her power has been out since Tuesday, but Stoppe said the storm conditions so far are not the worst she has seen.
There’s snow along the sides of the road as near as Frank Raines OHV Park, which has an elevation of 1,168 feet, Olsen said. “I don’t even want to know what the summit looks like.” But he strongly discourages anyone from heading out that way to try to play in snow. It’s simply not safe, and “there’s no cell service regardless of what carrier you have.”
The forecast includes a 90% chance of rain continuing into Wednesday night, when up to an additional three-quarters inch could fall in Modesto.
The chance of rain Thursday also is 90%, with up to half an inch possible. Thursday night, the chance of rain falls to 70%, the weather service predicts, and could bring up to half an inch more.
The chance of rain drops to 30% Friday morning and then 20% that night and into Saturday, before the day becomes partly sunny..
This story was originally published January 27, 2021 at 7:32 AM with the headline "Storm blows through Stanislaus County, knocks down trees, causes flooding."
