Storm update: Tuolumne not expected to flood; high winds cause outages across Modesto

Vivienne Aguilar
·5 min read

6 p.m. update: The Tuolumne River is no longer expected to overflow, but authorities are asking Stanislaus residents to be aware of the water levels and still be prepared to leave, sheriff’s Deputy Raj Singh said in a video update on the StanEmergency Facebook page.

“It will get pretty close, but it’s not going to reach flood stage,” said Singh, a spokesman for the county Office of Emergency Services. “It should start going down within the next 24 to 48 hours.”

The San Joaquin River rose a foot Monday night, he said in the video. Officials expect to see River Road, Grayson Road and Highway 33, on the West Side of the county, to flood as the rain continues.

Also on the West Side, wind gusts reached a high of 63 mph around 1 p.m., the National Weather Service Sacramento office reported on Facebook. Peak wind gusts reached 68 mph along the border of Stanislaus and Calaveras counties.

As of 3 p.m., power has been restored to the Standiford and Tully, Empire, and Kiernan areas, Modesto Irrigation District spokeswoman Samantha Wookey said.

MID reported new power outages in the areas around Coffee Road and Rumble Road reaching Hwy 108, it announced in Facebook comments around 2 p.m.

Another outage has been confirmed in the Virginia Avenue area, including Alice Street at 3:30 p.m.

A troubleshooter determined a tree in a power line is the cause for the outage, but they are still evaluating the extent of the outage, Wookey said in a message to The Bee. There is no estimated time for power restoration in this area yet.

Heavy winds downed a power line connected to Stanislaus Elementary School earlier this morning, said California Highway Patrol Officer Tom Olsen. No one was hurt. Classes had no power for the rest of the school day.

Original Story: Rain took a backseat to strong winds in Modesto on Tuesday that caused problems including bringing down lines that cut power to neighborhoods.

One outage affected 120 homes when tree limbs were caught in power lines, said Samantha Wookey, a Modesto Irrigation District spokeswoman. Another cut power to well over 1,000 customers.

“There is a tree down on one of our primary poles and power lines in the Rose Avenue, Scenic Drive, Oakdale (Road) and Wylie Drive neighborhood,” Wookey she in a message to The Bee.

The outage began a bit before 10:30 a.m. and MID expected to restore power around 6 p.m. “It is expected to take 8 hours to restore power in this area,” according to the MID Facebook page.

Normally, MID would be able to reroute power to other substations so residents get their power back earlier, Wookey said, but the fallen tree seems to have damaged infrastructure so it’s not possible to reroute in this situation.

A resident of the 800 block of Standiford Avenue reported just after noon that his power was out and MID said it should be restored by 4 p.m. That outage, too, was from a tree falling onto a power line, Wookey said.

In the Standiford and Scenic area outages, about 150 customers remained without power early afternoon and it had been restored to about 475.

“We are also experiencing weather-related outages off of Kiernan (144 people) and in Empire (1,300 people). Crews are working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible in the areas,” she said.

Shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday, a check of the Turlock Irrigation District’s outage information page showed no active power failures. To report a power failure to MID, call 209-526-7337. “Please call TID’s 24-hour service line at 883-8301 if you are without power longer than five minutes,” the page advises.

As for rainfall, 0.29 inches had been recorded by MID between 3 and 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Rain was expected to continue on and off into the night, including a 70% chance of rain and showers after 11 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

South-southeast winds were 24 to 30 miles per hour, with gusts as high as 44 mph, throughout the day, according to the Weather Service. Winds were expected to slow to 15 to 20 miles per hour, also coming from the south. Later Tuesday evening, north winds were expected to come in at 7 to 12 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration placed a high-wind warning in effect until 11 p.m., and still is holding the flood watch for the Tuolumne and San Joaquin Rivers until 10 a.m. on Wednesday.

Stanislaus County warned the Modesto and Newman areas of even stronger winds. “Gusty winds will pick up (Tuesday) morning and continue through the evening. Expect wind gusts 50-60 mph in the Valley. This will cause downed trees and power outages, especially with soils so saturated,” The Stanislaus County Office of Emergency Services said on Facebook.

Two evacuation shelters are available to those living near Dry Creek or the Tuolumne and San Joaquin Rivers.

The Salvation Army Red Shield Community, 1649 Las Vegas St. in Modesto. This location allows small animals if they are secured in kennels.

The Stanislaus County Fairground, 900 N. Broadway in Turlock. Pets are allowed to shelter, and spots are picked out for large animals.

For information on the shelters, including what you can bring, the Stanislaus County OES Flood Line is 209-552-3880.

A large branch fell on a car on Ashwood Drive in Modesto, Calif., Tuesday, March 14, 2023.
A large branch fell on a car on Ashwood Drive in Modesto, Calif., Tuesday, March 14, 2023.
Today at 5:45 PM in a parking lot at McHenry and Floyd.
Today at 5:45 PM in a parking lot at McHenry and Floyd.
The Tuolumne River at the 9th Street Bridge in Modesto, Calif., Saturday afternoon, March 11, 2023. The river is in the monitoring stage, at 51.9 feet Sunday morning, down from reaching 52.3 feet overnight.
The Tuolumne River at the 9th Street Bridge in Modesto, Calif., Saturday afternoon, March 11, 2023. The river is in the monitoring stage, at 51.9 feet Sunday morning, down from reaching 52.3 feet overnight.