Storm roundup: Rivers stay within banks as main part of system moves through Stanislaus
Rivers kept below flood stage Friday morning as the latest major storm rolled through Stanislaus County.
Residents should watch for fallen trees, backed-up street drains and other impacts as the windy system moves through.
The Modesto Irrigation District recorded 0.66 inches of rain downtown between 2 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. Friday. The National Weather Service forecast up to 0.5 more by Friday evening, possibly including intense thunderstorms in some spots.
Up to 2 inches total is expected through the weekend, and about the same on Monday and Tuesday. The storm also will bring more heavy snow to the area’s Sierra Nevada watershed, along with rain that melts part of the pack.
An evacuation warning went out Thursday to two trailer parks along the Tuolumne River at Ninth Street. It could be upgraded to an order if the threat rises.
The river was about 5 feet below its flood stage of 55 feet above sea level Friday morning, the California Department of Water Resources said. It is projected to recede to 48.7 feet in the evening and reach 53.6 feet Sunday.
Don Pedro Reservoir has kept the river from causing widespread flooding. The Turlock Irrigation District is making releases aimed at preparing for snowmelt from above while not causing damage downstream.
The county OES on Wednesday issued an evacuation order and an evacuation warning for the Newman area along a stretch of the San Joaquin River between Crows Landing Road and Hills Ferry Road.
According to a StanEmergency Facebook post, residents on the east side have been told to safely evacuate the area. Residents on the west side of the same stretch of river are under an evacuation warning and should be prepared to leave if it becomes necessary, county OES said.
As of 9 a.m. Friday. the San Joaquin was about 6 feet below flood stage near Newman. It is projected to rise about 2 feet by Sunday.
The Stanislaus River does not pose a flood threat because New Melones Reservoir has plenty of unused capacity.
The county Office of Emergency Services shared a warning Thursday evening from the Weather Service that thunderstorms will be possible through Friday evening.
“Heavy rains and strong winds will continue through the night and there is a potential for funnel clouds. Small accumulating hail will be the main threat with these storms,” it said in a Facebook post. Other impacts may include lightning, gusty winds and brief heavy rainfall.
In a video that was part of another StanEmergency post Thursday evening, Sheriff Jeff Dirkse said we are back where we were about two months ago, in a state of emergency, with two differences:
“Our reservoirs are very full. They’re not completely full, they do have some capacity, and TID and MID are managing their flows, coming out of Don Pedro specifically. ...
“The second main change from two months ago: This is a warmer storm and the snow levels are going to be in the 7,000 to 7,500 foot range. ... The impact is when this rain hits that snow, a lot of that will melt and fill our reservoirs even faster. We are generally told that any snow below 5,000 feet — and that’s still quite a bit — is gonna be gone by the end of this storm. All of that water will be in our reservoirs.”
