Modesto area’s next storm won’t be too wet, but it will be windy. Watershed will get snow
The Modesto area can expect up to half an inch of rain, along with gusty winds, from another late-winter storm.
The National Weather Service said the rain would start at about 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 12. It could total 0.25 to 0.5 inches by the end of Thursday. Another storm could add a quarter-inch Friday.
Winds will mainly be 11 to 17 miles per hour Wednesday, but gusts could reach 40 mph. Light breezes are expected Thursday.
The Modesto Irrigation District has measured just 5.82 inches of rain downtown in the water year that began last July 1. The historical annual average is 12.19 inches, falling mainly from November through March.
The central Sierra Nevada snowpack provides most of the water for MID and other suppliers in the Northern San Joaquin Valley. It was about 70% of average as of Wednesday, according to the California Department of Water Resources. This winter has brought much more moisture to the northern Sierra compared with the central and south.
The Weather Service forecasts up to 18 inches of snow in upper Tuolumne County on Wednesday and Thursday, and another 4 inches Friday.
Stanislaus County residents can expect a mostly sunny Saturday, followed by at least a slight chance of rain Sunday to Tuesday.
