Thursday updates: Atmospheric river hits Fresno area; Planada, Merced under flood warnings

Bryant-Jon Anteola, Jim Guy

FRIDAY’S COVERAGE: Flood warnings in Fresno Co. communities, ‘move immediately to higher ground’

Follow all our weather updates at fresnobee.com/weather-news.

The atmospheric river story that hit the central San Joaquin Valley on Thursday afternoon has many on alert, with the heavy rain and strong winds causing various issues and bringing the threat of possible flooding.

The storm is expected to be intense particularly in the eastern side of Fresno County and in the foothills, while lasting through Sunday.

Food box distribution for mountain communities

5:45 p.m.: Free food boxes will be distributed for residents from the foothill communities Friday.

Distribution will take place from 9 a.m. to midnight Friday (or until supplies last) at the Madera County Fire Station 7 at Tesoro Viejo.

The box of emergency supplies is to help residents stock up on essentials due to the atmospheric storm that arrived Thursday afternoon.

Sand bags provided for Madera residents

5:40 p.m.: The Madera County Sheriff’s Deputies and CAL FIRE crews on Thursday placed sand bags in high risk areas throughout the county.

Madera County provides 10 bags per resident and sand bags are available in various locations. Supplies are available on first-come, first-serve basis.

For a comprehensive list of storm resources, please visit ReadyMadera.com

Fresno County parks close down

5:25 p.m.: Several parks in Fresno County closed Thursday due to storm conditions and potential flooding.

Avocado Lake Park, Choinumni Park, Lost Lake Park, Winton Park, Los Gatos Creek Park, Skaggs Bridge Park and Laton-Kingston Park have been shut down until further notice, according to the County of Fresno’s Department of Public Works and Planning.

Sierra Unified schools closed

5:15 p.m.: The Sierra Unified School District in eastern Fresno County is closing its schools because of the storm.

“Sierra Unified schools will be closed Friday, March 10, 2023, in the interest of student, staff and community safety. Sierra Unified School District, Big Creek School and Pine Ridge Elementary,” the district wrote online.

The Sierra High boys basketball team was to leave Tollhouse around 5:30 p.m. Thursday to go to Sacramento for the CIF Division V state championship.

The Chieftains will play Lynwood at noon Friday.

Sierra athletic director Jon Hendrix told The Bee rain was coming down hard as of 5 p.m. He added one rooter bus was scheduled to leave Friday morning.

Which Fresno roads are most likely to flood during major storms? See our interactive map

Merced County receives evacuation warning

5:05 p.m.: Evacuation warnings have been issued for areas of Planada and Le Grand as the Army Corps of Engineers is predicting Mariposa Creek and Owens Creek flood control dams will reach capacity at about 9 p.m. Friday, according to the Merced County Sheriff’s Office.

Much of Planada was flooded by early January storms.

To keep the dams intact, more water will be released using a bypass channel. The sheriff’s office is advising residents to plan ahead and to gather important medication, documents, animals and device chargers, according to a Merced County Sheriff’s Office news release.

National parks closed

5 p.m.: Due to the heavy rain and other potential issues that can be caused by the atmospheric river storm, the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks will close at 6 p.m.

When it reopens remains to be determined.

Yosemite National Park, meanwhile, has been closed since Feb. 25 and will remain inaccessible to the public through Sunday – if not longer.

The storm is expected to impact Yosemite further with rain possibly helping melt snow that’s packed the national park since late last month.

The national park said that most parking lots are still under up to six feet of snow.

A CHP officer patrols Highway 168 near Camp Edison at Shaver Lake in eastern Fresno County, California, on Thursday, March 9, 2023. The CHP reported snow was sticking on the highway in that area as of 5:15 p.m. while it was raining on the lower section of the highway, on the four-lane above Prather.
A CHP officer patrols Highway 168 near Camp Edison at Shaver Lake in eastern Fresno County, California, on Thursday, March 9, 2023. The CHP reported snow was sticking on the highway in that area as of 5:15 p.m. while it was raining on the lower section of the highway, on the four-lane above Prather.

Storm arrives in the Valley

4 p.m.: The big storm anticipated for more than week appears that it will bring the intense rainfall as forecast, officials at the National Weather Service in Hanford said Thursday afternoon.

“It seems to be a pretty intense storm,” said Antoinette Serrato, a meteorologist at the weather service. “It looks like it’s doing what we anticipated.”

Serrato added that weather service prediction center had issued an alert for a high risk of flash flooding of foothill streams, from 4 a.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Saturday.

In addition, the weather service warned of flooding from 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday morning in a region from Bakersfield to Yosemite Valley as warm rain threatens to melt the monster snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, sending a river of water downhill.

Fresno was also expected to receive about 2 inches of rain that could flood streets and low-lying areas.

Wonder Valley resident Nathan Hannah, left, gathers sandbags left by Fresno County to use on his property as an atmospheric river expected to dump over 3 inches of rain through the weekend approaches the area on Thursday, March 9, 2023 east of Fresno.
Wonder Valley resident Nathan Hannah, left, gathers sandbags left by Fresno County to use on his property as an atmospheric river expected to dump over 3 inches of rain through the weekend approaches the area on Thursday, March 9, 2023 east of Fresno.

Evacuation zone information for Fresno County

3 p.m.: The rainstorm headed to the San Joaquin Valley could flood streams, rivers and storm drains, which has led officials in Fresno, Madera and Tulare counties to announce evacuation warnings.

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office created a real-time map of the eastern part of the county that could be subjected to evacuations if conditions become hazardous.

»» You can find that updated map here.

For detailed evacuation warnings information on Madera County and Tulare County, go here: Flood evacuation warnings in Fresno, Madera, Tulare

Pine Flat Road, leading to Pine Flat Dam, is seen closed outside the Piedra Post Office and near the Choinumni Park entrance Thursday, March 9, 2023 east of Fresno.
Pine Flat Road, leading to Pine Flat Dam, is seen closed outside the Piedra Post Office and near the Choinumni Park entrance Thursday, March 9, 2023 east of Fresno.

EMERGENCY INFO BY COUNTY

• Fresno County: fresnosheriff-cofgisonline.hub.arcgis.com and fresnocountyemergency.com

• Madera County: MaderaAware.com and mcalert.org

• Tulare County: tularecounty.ca.gov/emergencies, register for AlertTC at alerttc.com

Each county and sheriff’s office also has a Facebook page with updates.

Sandbags are placed along a bridge and along property, background, where a small creek flows through Riverbend RV Park Thursday, March 9, 2023 east of Fresno.
Sandbags are placed along a bridge and along property, background, where a small creek flows through Riverbend RV Park Thursday, March 9, 2023 east of Fresno.

Related coverage: Storm in Fresno area

Mill Creek enters Wonder Valley as it flows from Tretten Canyon, seen from the bridge on Lupine Drive during a light rain Thursday, March 9, 2023 east of Fresno.
Mill Creek enters Wonder Valley as it flows from Tretten Canyon, seen from the bridge on Lupine Drive during a light rain Thursday, March 9, 2023 east of Fresno.

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