Just how much rain fell in Modesto? Yesterday’s total was nearly a record
A day after nearly record rainfall in Modesto, residents on Thursday experienced a calmer but still wet and windy day.
A steady, though sometimes very light, fell between 1 p.m. Wednesday and 8 a.m. Thursday. The Modesto Irrigation District was able to measure amounts as low as 0.01 inches in all but one hour.
Between midnight Wednesday and 1 p.m. Thursday, 0.31 inches was recorded. But Wednesday’s rain was a downright downpour, dropping 3.26 inches.
That single-day total is higher than the highest historical average rain total for any entire month in Modesto, according to MID archives. And the utility district confirmed Thursday that 3.26 inches was second-heaviest recorded one-day rain in Modesto.
The record belongs to Dec. 11, 1906, when 3.41 inches was recorded, MID spokeswoman Melissa Williams said. For the date of Jan. 27, the previous rain record was 1.68 inches, set in 1896, she said.
Though it’s been light so far Thursday, the rain isn’t fizzling out quite yet, according to the National Weather Service forecast. Up to half an inch could fall during the day, with an additional quarter inch possible Thursday night, mainly before 10 p.m.
Between noon and 7 p.m. Thursday, there’s a possibility of isolated thunderstorms across the San Joaquin Valley, the weather service warns. They could bring brief heavy rain, small hail and lightning.
Friday, the chance of rain drops to 30%. Showers are possible before 10 a.m., with the day then expected to become mostly sunny.
Winds also should begin to quiet down, the weather service says. Thursday’s south-southeast wind will be 13 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Tonight, it should be just 5 to 7 mph. That calm wind is expected to be around at least through Saturday.
Saturday and Sunday should be partly to mostly sunny, the forecast says, and then a chance of showers returns late Sunday and continues through Tuesday night.
The next fully sunny day isn’t expected until Wednesday.
This story will be updated through the morning.
This story was originally published January 28, 2021 at 7:08 AM.
