Modesto area’s stretch of mild days will end. The latest on Yosemite roads, Sierra passes
The Modesto area can expect a return to temperatures in the 90s after a string of mild days.
Meanwhile, snowplows have opened the final leg of Highway 108 over Sonora Pass. And a key link to Yosemite Valley from Highway 120 has been restored.
The National Weather Service forecast a high in Modesto of 82 on Monday. It expects 86 on Tuesday, 90 on Wednesday and Thursday, 91 on Friday, 95 on Saturday and 89 on Sunday, June 18.
The city last had a 90-plus day on June 4, according to the Modesto Irrigation District. The highs have ranged from 77 to 86 since then. The average for June 12 is 86.
Stanislaus County lies outside the latest thunderstorm watch from the Weather Service, but Tuolumne and other mountain counties are in it. They have a chance of lightning and brief, heavy rain through Wednesday.
The opening of Sonora Pass allows traffic on 108 between Tuolumne and Mono counties. The highway starts in Modesto and runs through the city of Sonora on its way to the high country.
Tioga Pass on Highway 120 remains closed, blocking most of the northern portion of Yosemite National Park.
Severe pavement damage from the storms had closed Big Oak Flat Road, which connects 120 to Yosemite Valley. The repairs are now done.
