Here’s how much rain fell in Fresno and the nearby mountains in the last 24 hours
Monday’s drenching storm, with downpours and wind, wreaked havoc on roads and neighborhoods throughout the central San Joaquin Valley. But it also provided much-needed rainfall for the drought-stricken region.
A second storm on Tuesday – another installment courtesy of an “atmospheric river” that is driving wet weather into California – has so far proven less prolific.
What’s the exact amount of rain to fall over Fresno?
From midnight through 11 a.m. Tuesday, about 0.13 inches of rain was reported by the National Weather Service at Fresno Yosemite International Airport. That’s a relative drop in the bucket compared to the 0.86 inches that had fallen at the airport between midnight and 11 a.m. on Monday en route to a total of more than 1.5 inches for the day.
A flood watch remains in effect through Tuesday night into Wednesday morning for the central San Joaquin Valley, with forecasters anticipating a 60% chance of rain into the afternoon with showers and possible thunderstorms. Rainfall chances drop to 30% Tuesday night.
Since Jan. 1, Fresno has received 3.26 inches of rain, and for the rainfall season that officially began Oct. 1, 8.33 inches of rain has been recorded. That’s more than double the 30-year normal rainfall of 3.88 inches for the season to date, and well on the way to approaching the 30-year normal of 10.99 inches for the entire water season that continues through Sept. 30.
Shaver Lake, mountains see huge rainfall totals
In the mountains east of Fresno, the weather has been a bit wilder. At Shaver Lake, almost 8 inches of rain fell on Monday, and by 11 a.m. Tuesday, more than 1.5 inches of rain had fallen since midnight.
Since Jan. 1, the mountain community has been soaked by more than 17 inches of precipitation, and the season total since Oct. 1 is now just over 40 inches.
In the foothills and mountains of eastern Fresno County, the heavier rain so far this week has forced county officials to close a number of roads, including the main route to Shaver Lake, “four-lane” section of Highway 168 which was shut down Monday because of a rockslide.
A perspective of the size of rocks which fell during yesterday’s Rockslide on State Route 168.
@caltransdist6 and engineers are working through the day to remove the rocks debris and to ensure a safe reopening.
We are still encouraging limited travel in the area. pic.twitter.com/n0My9ZNUYl— CHP Fresno (@ChpFresno) January 10, 2023
Road closures
Other foothill mountain routes that are closed include Huntington Lake Road from Highway 168 to Big Creek; Hume Road from Highway 180 to Hume Lake; Tollhouse Road and Pittman Hill Road near Humphrey’s Station; Elwood Road between Boren Lane and Wildcat Drive southeast of Piedra; and Auberry Road at Alder Springs except for local traffic. Crews continue to patrol Trimmer Springs Road and Piedra Road to clean up mudslides and debris.
In western Fresno County, road closures were also in effect Tuesday on Los Gatos Road from Derrick Avenue to the Fresno-Monterey County line west of Coalinga; Kamm Avenue from Highway 33 to Interstate 5 near Cantua Creek; Fairfax Avenue from Shields Avenue to Panoche Road west of Mendota; Belmont Avenue between San Diego and Fairfax avenues near Mendota; Washoe Avenue between Belmont and California avenues near Mendota; Shaw Avenue between Washoe and Douglas Avenues and Douglas between Shaw and Bullard avenues near Firebaugh; Mount Whitney Avenue between Sonoma Avenue and Highway 33 near Coalinga; and Parkfield Grade near Coalinga.
