Modesto-area will be under a flood watch as more rain is expected for holiday weekend
Northern California — including Stanislaus County — will be under a flood watch from 4 p.m. Friday through 4 a.m. Sunday as the next wave of rain hits the region.
The Modesto area is expected to get 1 to 2 inches from Friday evening through Saturday, with the brunt of the precipitation falling mid-morning to mid-afternoon Saturday.
Sunday is expected to be sunny with rain likely Monday and a chance of rain Tuesday. But it will be windy through Sunday, with gusts of 22 mph forecast through the weekend.
This will be a warm storm system, with snow levels starting at 8,500 to 9,500 feet before dropping to 6,000 feet by Saturday evening, said Scott Rowe, lead meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento. He said a typical storm this time of year could have a snow level of about 3,500 feet.
He said Tuolumne County’s foothills and mountains generally can expect 5 inches of rain, with 6 to 8 inches in some locations. The runoff will cause rivers and other waterways to rise, but Rowe said the Tuolumne and San Joaquin rivers are not expected to reach flood stage here.
For instance, the Tuolumne is at 38.5 feet and is expected to rise to 46.2 feet by Sunday evening. Rowe said 55 feet is the flood stage for the river.
But the Turlock Irrigation District advised people in a tweet to use extreme caution when near the Tuolumne because the river is “expected to rise swiftly over its normal winter level” and the “water will be cold, fast-moving and may contain debris.”
The TID monitors the river and decides how much of it to release from Don Pedro Reservoir. The Turlock and Modesto irrigation districts own the reservoir, and the TID operates it.
TID communications division manager Constance Anderson said the rise in the Tuolumne will not be because of releases from Don Pedro. She said the reservoir currently is able to capture the rain and runoff from the storms.
Creeks, streams and other low-lying areas could flood. There also could be flooding in areas with poor drainage, according to the National Weather Service’s flood watch.
City of Modesto crews worked Thursday to prepare for the upcoming storm. Their work included removing water from backed-up storm drains and cleaning storm-water catch basins.
Modesto spokeswoman Diana Ruiz-Del Re said in an email that the city’s waste-water storm-drain staff will work this weekend, and all eight of the city’s vacuum trucks will be used to remove water from flooded streets. The city also has additional Utilities and Public Works employees and equipment on standby if conditions worsen, according to her email.
Rowe said 2.21 inches of rain had fallen at the Modesto Airport in the past seven days. That includes 0.46 inches that fell Thursday. He said Modesto has received 5.5 inches of rain in December and 6.69 inches since the Oct. 1 start of the current rain year.
He said Modesto’s average seasonal rainfall total for this time of year is 3.68 inches. But he said 8.15 inches had fallen this time last year, and the city ended its rain year at 9.08 inches. (Modesto gets just a little over 12 inches in a typical rain year.)
“We all learned last year it (the rain) could end in hurry,” Rowe said. “... The whole water year does matter.”
Modesto said residents can call these numbers to report any storm-related problems:
▪ Call 209-577-6200 for emergency street flooding and clogged storm drains
▪ Call 209-342-2253 for tree emergencies
▪ Call 209-342-2297 to report traffic signal or streetlight outages
▪ Call the Modesto Irrigation District at 209-526-8222 to report downed power lines and power failures. Turlock Irrigation District customers can call TID’s 24-hour service line at 209-883-8301 to report power failures.
▪ Modesto households can get as many as 20 sandbags at no cost at the city’s Corporation Yard, 501 N. Jefferson St. You need to bring a shovel, and the city provides the bags and the sand. This is available through the weekend. Call 209-342-2244 for more information.
Many of these services can be found on the city’s website, modestogov.com. Stanislaus County residents who live outside of the city can go to stancounty.com or stanemergency.com.
This story was originally published December 30, 2022 at 11:48 AM.
