After rain, hail and tornado warnings, sunny days ahead in Modesto area
A fairly potent spring storm delivered with showers and downpours Thursday and early Friday
The rainfall total for Modesto stood at a quarter of an inch by Friday morning. Some Turlock residents saw hail. The storm was expected to dump 18 to 24 inches of snow in the Sierra Nevada.
Late Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for areas including far north Stanislaus County, and part of Calaveras and Amador counties. The warning, for communities including Valley Springs, Capo Seco and Paloma, was in effect through 6 p.m. The service said its meteorologists had tracked “very strong rotation” on their radar and warned of heavy rain and possible hail.
On Friday morning, the Weather Service noted that tornadoes are uncommon but not unprecedented in California; the state sees about 11 per year.
The storm event is unusual this late in the season and will provide some improvement for a disappointing wet season.
According to Accuweather, the current storage is 62% of capacity and 82% of average in Don Pedro reservoir, a major water source for farms in Stanislaus County and the city of Modesto. Water storage at Shasta Dam is slightly less than 50% of average as drought conditions continue throughout California.
“The rainfall we’ve received from this week’s storm will certainly have a positive impact on the water available in Don Pedro Reservoir,” Samantha Wookey, a public affairs specialist for Modesto Irrigation District, said by email.
The irrigation district will keep monitoring the weather and recommend any possible changes for water allocated to irrigation customers, Wookey said. For now, the allocation for the 2022 irrigation season is capped at 30 inches per acre.
San Joaquin County had strong storm activity along Interstate 5 near Stockton, according to a KCRA tweet, which also posted video of a funnel cloud.
The California Highway Patrol reported traffic hazards and roadway flooding Thursday afternoon in and around Stockton.
Looking ahead, the clouds are expected to clear out with a warming trend coming this weekend. Forecasters expect mostly sunny conditions, rising to 87 Monday before dropping back to the 70s next week.
This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 3:37 PM.
