When to expect the heaviest rain to hit the Fresno area. Strong thunderstorms possible
Heavy rain is expected to arrive in the Fresno area overnight, according to the National Weather Service in Hanford.
Meteorologist Jim Bagnall said the rain is off the coast to the north, but will slowly come into the Fresno area Sunday night with heavy rain overnight.
“Fairly heavy rain,” he said. “Looks like the heaviest bit of it is going to be overnight through tomorrow.”
He said the rain is expected to last until Wednesday morning with strong thunderstorms expected to happen Monday afternoon and evening and Tuesday.
Bagnall added that there is a slight possibility of severe thunderstorms in Merced.
A flood watch is in effect below 6,000 feet.
A Flood Watch remains in effect for most of Central California below 6,000 feet from 4 PM PST this afternoon until 4 AM PST Tuesday night. Most of this rain will fall this evening through Monday evening. Mudslides and rockslides are possible in steep canyons and hillsides. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/cjeyzVIras
— NWS Hanford (@NWSHanford) February 18, 2024
Fresno rainfall amount is predicted to be 1.5 inches of rain by the time the storm moves through the region on Wednesday, he said.
Snowfall amounts are even expected to be high in the Sierra Nevada, Bagnall said.
As much as nearly 5 feet of snow is predicted at the highest elevations, and 6,000 feet is expected to 1 to 3 feet of snow.
While the storm is not deemed the atmospheric river that the central San Joaquin Valley has seen recently, Bagnall said it does have the “same effect.”
“It’s pulling up tropical moisture and feeding it across us,” he said. “That is kind of feeding the machine there and giving us all this precipitation, and the system itself will move inland and that’s going to continue.”
